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Book JE. 



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Suggestive Illustrations 

ON 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 



ILLUSTRATIONS FROM ALL SOURCES 
PICTURESQUE GREEK WORDS 
LIBRARY REFERENCES TO FURTHER ILLUSTRATIONS 
REFERENCES TO PHOTOGRAPHS OF 
CELEBRATED PICTURES 



LEADERS OF PRAYER-MEETINGS, CHRISTIAN ENDEAVORERS, 
SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS AND PASTORS 



AUTHOR OF "SELECT NOTES " ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSONS, ETC. 



FOR THE USE OF 



REV. F.VN. PELOUBET, D. D. 





NEW YORK 



E. R. HERRICK & COMPANY, 



PUBLISHERS. 



18595 

Copyright, 1898, 
By E. R. HERRICK & COMPANY. 

All Rights Reserved. 

COPds DECEIVED. 



WEED-PARSONS PRINTI 

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tr ol N^ er 




PREFACE. 



In. presenting the second volume of Suggestive Illustrations, the order 
of issue varies from what would naturally be expected, because it de- 
pends largely on my studies in the International Lessons. The intent 
and persistent looking at the text, required in that work, brings out 
many thoughts and illustrations which would not otherwise be noticed. 
Their flood tide overflows the limits of that work, and even of this work 
given wholly to illustrations, as the Nile overflows its banks in the 
spring. 

I would emphasize the word Suggestive in the title, for only a small 
percentage of possible illustrations can be given. Dr. Holmes in the 
Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, represents the Divinity-student at the 
:able, as saying, after listening to one of the doctor's famous illustra- 
tions, — " There is no power I envy so much as that of seeing analogies 
and making comparisons. I don't understand how it is that some 
minds are continually coupling thoughts or objects that seem not in 
u he least related to each other, until all at once they are put in a certain 
light, and you wonder that you did not always see that they were as 
like as a pair of twins It appears to me as a sort of a miraculous gift." 
■ ' You call it miraculous ! " Then the doctor pictures a man by the ocean 
with a tin cup taking up a gill of sea- water, "and you call the t^in cup 
a miraculous possession! It is the ocean that is miraculous, my infant 
apostle! " Then picturing all the fancies that poetry has dreamed or 
humanity has felt, he goes on to say "the Epic which held them all, 
though its letters filled the zodiac, would be but a cupful from the in- 
finite ocean of similitudes and analogies that rolls through the universe." 

This is equally true of illustrations drawn from literature, to 
many of which reference is made in these volumes. There is no limit 
to these, except the bounds of one's reading and memory. Very little 
has been quoted from books of illustrations. Whatever has been 
quoted from any source has been placed in quotation marks. Not a little 
is in a sense original; but much more has been suggested from many 
sources. The book would have small value unless, like the Amazon, it 
drained a whole continent of literature for its waters, bringing but a 
few cupfuls to suggest where larger draughts may be obtained. 

I have found great advantage not only in marking books that I have 
read, and noting on the fly leaf the pages with hints helpful for teaching 
or preaching, but especially in marking on the wide margins of my 



iv 



PREFACE 



desk bible opposite any verse, every illustrative reference which occurs 
in nay reading. I am using Suggestive Illustrations on Matthew in the 
same way, placing upon the margins a note of any further illustrations, 
or literary references. This is one purpose of these volumes, which in 
time can thus be multiplied many fold in value to the minister or 
teacher who so uses them. 

The cross references also enlarge the scope of the volume, the same 
subject sometimes appearing repeatedly in any book of the Bible. 

The References to pictures may often be of value as illustrations. 

Mr. Ruskin says that — 

"Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts, — 
the book of their deeds, the book of their words, and the book of their 
art. Not one of these books can be understood unless we read the two 
others." 

Pictures represent the stories as incidents from an artist's point of 
view, which frequently harmonizes with that of the teacher. 

AUBURNDALE, MASS. , 

March, 1898 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 



CHAPTER I. 



1. The former treatise have I made, 0 Tbeoph 'litis, of all that 
Jesus began both to do and teach. 

2. Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he 
through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the 
apostles whom he had chosen: 



" It is when 
We gloriously forget ourselves, and plunge 
Soul-forward, headlong, into a book's profound, 
Impassioned for its beauty, and salt of truth — 
"lis then we get the right good from a book." 

Mrs. Browning. 



A. D. 30. 

May. 
JERUSALEM. 

BETWEEN THE 
RESURRECTION 
AND ASCENSION. 
TIBERIUS, EM P. 
ROME. 
PILATE, GOV. 
OF JUDEA. 

Tlie pur- 
pose of tlie 
writer. 



A General View of the Whole Book.— Pycroft in his Course of 
English Reading, advises his readers to learn by heart a brief general 
summary or outline of the whole course of the history, — then each 
fact that comes to notice, each book read, will find its place in the 
history, and become a portion of our knowledge of the scheme of 
history. 

In the same way we should first read through the whole Book of The 
Acts, and learn clearly, and keep distinctly in our memories, 
the plan of its history and the bearing of each portion on The way to 
the events that follow. read history. 

Each part will then be like the steps of Jacob's ladder, 
not only offering a larger view, but leading upward to the steps above 
it, and new angels will bring us fresh lessons at each step, 
otherwise we shall be compelled to say: Jacob's 
" What parts, what gems, what colors shine — Ladder. 
Ah, but I miss the grand design! " 
But with a bird's eye view of the whole, each gem of truth is in its true 
setting, each color shines in harmony, and " the grand design" brings 
new beauties and new lessons. 

We are to look at particular stars, as through a telescope which reveals 
a brightness and tints that the unaided eye seldom sees, but 
at the same time we should always see them as a part of the Stars or 
whole sky with its constellations and planetary system. Constella- 
The individual events are like sentences written on the sky tions. 
in letters so large that we can see but a sentence at a time, 

1 



2 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



I : i, 2 



though full of meaning and blessing. But there come new visions, 
deeper meanings, and fuller blessing when we read them in 
Sentences, a connected message from God. 

or a book. One is a single note, sweet as an angel's voice ; the other 
is an Anthem. One is a beautiful color ; the other is a 
cathedral window. 

" Oh, that I knew how all thy lights combine 
And the configurations of their storie, 
Seeing not only how each verse doth shine, 
But all the constellations in their glorie." 

— Geo. Herbert. 



This diagram may help us to 
understand how the period of 
the Acts was the grafting of the 
New Kingdom of God on the 
old, beginning small, and grow- 
ing as the old declined, till it 
was able to nourish alone . Then 
the old dispensation was ended 
by the destruction of Jerusalem 
and the temple, as the new dis- 
pensation took its place. The 
history in the Acts covers only 
four-fifths of the wedge-shaped 
graft which represents the 
period from A. D. 30 to A. D. 70. 

When Assyria was destroyed, 
it was cut down like a fir tree 
from the stump of which no 
new shoot arises. When Judah 
was destroyed it was like an oak 
tree, of which only the stump 
was left, but from the oak, as from the chestnut trees in the lawn by my 
study windows, there come new shoots which may grow larger than 
the original trees. This new shoot was Israel after the exile, which was 
again cut down, but from it grew the Kingdom of Christ far larger, 
more powerful, more glorious than the original Kingdom from which 
it was an offshoot, by a new graft through Jesus Christ. 



Statistics of the Roman Empire. — In order to understand the ma- 
terial on which Christianity had to work, we give the best statistics 




S$ RETURN 
6oJ CAPTIVITY 




I: 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



available, after consulting the best authorities and the 
persons most acquainted with the facts. Lyman's 
Tables give the population of the Roman Empire at 
the time of Christ as 120,000,000, of which 60,000,000 
were slaves, 40,000,000 were tributaries and freedmen, 
and only 20,000,000 were full citizens, or one-sixth of 
the population. The army numbered 400,000, and the 
navy 50,000 men. Milman gives the population of 
Jerusalem at 2,556,000, and of Rome, by the census 
of A. D. 48, as 5,984,000. But these figures seem much 
too large. Merrill, in Galilee in the time of Christ, 
thinks that the population of Palestine was about 
6,000,000, and of Galilee 2,000,000. 



* 

! A. 1>. 30. 

May. 
JERUSALEM. 

! BETWEEN THE 
! RESURRECTION 
j AND ASCENSION. 

I 

TIBERIUS, EM P. 
ROME. 
PILATE, GOV, 
OF JUDEA. 

The pur- 
pose of tlie 
writer. 



The Former Treatise. — Luke. The Acts of the Apostles which might 
well be called The Acts of the Holy Spirit through the 
apostles, is " a proper sequel to all the four books which Kelation 
precede it ; and may be compared to the mercy-seat, which of the Acts 
both rested upon and held united the four sides of the to the 
sacred ark of the testimony. We may even carry the com- Gospels, 
parison further; for, as it was this mercy-seat, the cover 
of the ark, where the Shechinah fire burned and glowed, it is in the 
Acts of the Apostles that the Holy Spirit's fire is first seen to burn 
and shine in latter-day glory." — Arthur T. Pierson, D. D. 



Luke's Review of Christ's Last Days. — " St. Luke is like a traveller 
who, having gained a certain summit, before he proceeds on his journey 
through the new country which is opening upon his view, stops and 
looks back upon the scene which he has traversed, but which he is now 
about to lose sight of. He marks the sites which had attracted his 
attention as he journeyed — the rising knoll, the conspicuous wood, the 
sheet of water, the open plain. But as he looks he spies out other objects 
which he has not noticed before, which add richness and diversity to 
the scene ; and so he adds them to his journal or to his sketch. In like 
manner our sacred historian : being about to quit the blessed scenes of 
the life of Jesus Christ which had engaged his pen in the Gospel, and to 
enter upon the history of the Apostolic Church, casts a lingering look 
upon the closing days of our Lord's sojourn upon earth, marks again 
what he had before narrated, recapitulates the history of the days which 
connected the Gospel with the Acts." — Lord A. C. Hervey, D. D. 



All that Jesus Began To Do and Teach. — The Book of the Acts is 



4 



SUGGESTIVE 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



1:1,2 



This diagram gives us a 
view of the gradual develop- 
ment of Jesus' work through 
the Holy Spirit, in establish- 
ing the new Kingdom of 
God on earth. 



Prepa 
and p 
io day 



A.D.30 



First coming. 



It is well to study this 
development and keep it 
in mind as we study the 
history. 



+Crucifixion. 

Resurrection 
40 days. 

ration 
rayer 



Fou 
Church 
Chaps. 2- 
A new 



Broadening of 
Judea, Samaria, 
ing re 
Chap. 8. 



Conversion 
Chap. 9. 




Pentecost. 



Retu 
by H 
P 



Dangei 
and 



Extension to 
A new era begun. 



Foreign 
A new era. 
Chaps. 13, 14. 



Union of Jews 
The two lines of develop 
Chap. 15. 



Foreign Mis 
2d and 3d missionary journeys. 
Chaps. 15-20 



Beginning of 
At chap 18 • 17, 



Paul's Strange 
Chaps 21-28. 



Tub Gospel at Romi 



rn of J 
oly S 
salm 



nding 
at Je 

7. A, 

co mm 



esus 
pirit. 



of 

RT7SALBM. 
D. 30-36. 
unity. 



without 
within. 



the Church. 
and neighbor- 

gions. 

A- D. 36, 37. 



of Paul. 

>• D. 37. 



the Gentiles. 
New religious center at 
Antioch 
a. d. 38-44 



Missions. 

First missionary journey. 
a. p. 45-48. 



AND GENTILES. 

ment united intaone 
a. d. 50. 



sions Extended- 
Gospel reaches Europe and Greece. 11 

A. D. 51-58 



i Epistles. 
Thessalonians. 



d- 53- 



Way to Rome. 
. d. 58-61. 



Chap. 



Destruction of Jerusalem, a -d. 70 
End op thb Old Dispensation 



- Epistles. 



The Capital of the Empire, 
a. d. 61-63. 
The New Dispensation Fully 
Launched- 



I:i,2 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



5 



the continuation through the Holy Spirit of all that 
Jesus began to do and teach in his earthly life. 

"No man has the whole truth. The Book itself is 
not a full-grown garden, it is a seed-house, a store- 
house of roots. We have to plant the root, sow the 
seed, and look upon the wondrous issue of fruitfulness 
and beauty." — Joseph Parker, D. D. 



a. r>. 30. 

May. 
JERUSALEM. 

BETWEEN THE 
RESURRECTION 
AND ASCENSION. 
TIBERIUS, EMP. 
ROME. 
PILATE, GOV. 
OF JUDEA. 

The pur- 
pose of tlie 
writer. 



Cologne Cathedral. — In the Cologne Cathedral 
hangs the original pencil drawing of the cathedral by 
Meister Gerard about 1250, " whose great genius conceived and put into 
existence these plans, whose fulfilment would require centuries of labor." 
The work was begun, but war and political changes left it unfinished. 
For several centuries the plans disappeared. Then, in new circum- 
stances, these drawings were " hunted from garrets in which they had 
slumbered," and in 1830, almost six hundred years after the plans were 
made, work was again begun, and is now completed. So Jesus was now 
about to carry out the plan formed " before the foundation of the world," 
and begun by him during his earthly life. The new Kingdom is won- 
drously beautiful but is not even yet completed. 



Obverse of the United States Seal. - 
ever seen the reverse of the great seal of the 
United States. The only place outside of 
the cyclopedia (Am. Cyc. XVI. p. 118) where 
I have seen it, is on some of the postal cars. 
It consists of an unfinished pyramid, be- 
neath which is the legend Novus ORDO 
seculorum (anew order of the ages), and 
over it is a radiant eye, representing the 
Divine Providence, and the legend Annuit 
Coeptis (He favors the undertaking). 



Few people seem to have 




To Do and Teach. — These are like the two oars of a boat, or the two 
wings of. a bird: There is no real progress without both, no carrying 
passengers tc heaven, no soaring into the heavenly regions. 



6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



1:3 



3. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by inauy infallible 
proofs, being seen of them fort} 7 days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the 
kingdom of God : 



3. To Whom He Showed Himself Alive. — impeo-Ttio-ev. The original 

meaning is to place beside. He placed himself beside the apostles, he 
presented himself, shewed himself. ■ 



Infallible Proofs. — Te^picis, from TcKjiap a sign, hence proof by 
sure signs, manifest to the senses ; that from which something may be 
surely known; an indubitable evidence. 



The unbeliever who put upon his tomb, "I have no hope of heaven 
and no fear of hell." had an epitaph fit for a brute beast, but sad, alas, 
for a man. Compare Dwight L. Moody's sermon on the death of his 
brother with R. Ingersoll's beautiful but hopeless words about his brother. 



The Resurrection of Jesus is the assurance of our own resurrection, 
with spiritual bodies like his glorious body ; all sickness, weakness, and 
pain gone, and with new life, new powers, new joys, beyond our 
highest conception, and the assurance of recognition of friends, as we 
recognize the plants that grow from each kind of seed. 

This life is like the seed ; the resurrection life like the plant that 
grows from the seed. Who would dream that all the 
strength and beauty of an oak was enclosed in the acorn ? Seeds and 
Who would imagine that the radiance and fragrance of the Flowers, 
rose could develop from the seed of the rose, or the bril- 
liance of a tulip from a bulb? How could a seed under ground, if it 
had consciousness, obtain any faintest idea of what the springtime 
world is above ground ; or from its own form, mouldering into dust, 
what its nature, and surroundings, and work would be when it grew 
into the air and sunlight? Or suppose some inhabitant of another 
world should visit this world in winter, and looking at the seeds and 
bulbs in the seed store, or the bare trees in the fields, should be told 
what they were to become in spring. How could you make known the 
fact if he hesitated to believe? You would take him to a greenhouse 
and let him see specimens, the actual results of seeds planted. Now 
Jesus raised from the dead is a specimen, a fact, which proves what 
may be true of men. 



The Bell from Cannon. — The old city of Breslau in Silesia has one 
of the finest Sunday-school rooms in the world. The Emperor William 



1:3 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



7 



gave it a bell made from French cannon which were 
captured during a recent war. 



A. D. 30. 



A kingly deed, O Kaiser ! 



May. 



No alchemist of old 
E'er turned the baser metal 



THE 40 
RESURREC- 
TION 
DAYS. 



To fairer, purer gold 4,- 
Than from the roar of brazen cannon 
To the chime of Sabbath bell. 



— M. E. TJialheimer. 



The Watch and its Case. — I have often represented to children the 
truth that the soul can exist after the body dies, and can have a new 
spiritual body, by means of a watch. From a jeweler were obtained 
the works of a watch and two cases, so arranged that the works can 
easily be taken from the old and battered case and allowed to go alone, 
and then put into the other gold case. The works are the soul of the 
watch. They go just the same, keep the same kind of time in either 
case. 



. Siberian Mines. — It is said that in the Siberian mines there are 
those who were born there, and never have seen the light of the upper 
world. With their dim lamps and narrow vision, and cold, damp air, 
and absence of all plant life, they can have no conception of the glory 
of a June day, of the enchanting scenery, of fields, of flowers, of forests 
fringing the hills. All they can know is from the reports of those who 
have been in the upper world. We are farther away from the heavenly 
life than a Siberian mine from a summer day. But we can believe him 
who has been above. We can be sure from his testimony, and hia 
resurrection that we are not 



Library. — In Meyer's Calvary to Pentecost, p. 33 (Revell), is a simi- 
lar illustration from a home in the inaccessible heights of Norway 



Library, Gregg's The Heaven Life (Revell) contains a number of 
excellent illustrations, two of which are given below. 



Infallible Proofs. — Socrates, the wisest of the ancients, reasoned 
about immortality, hoped for immortality, but that was 
all. It is Christ alone who brings Infallible Proofs. Socrates 

" The teachings of Socrates, as preserved for us by Plato, and Immor- 
his favorite pupil, and as given in the " Phsedo," are tality. 



"Like ships that sailed from sunny isles, 
But never came to shore." 



8 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



1:3 



wonderful. Socrates was doomed to die. Intellectual Athens had 
sentenced him to drink a cup of poison. Some twelve or fourteen 
of his friends spent with him his last day of earthly existence, and at 
his own request spent it in discoursing upon immortality. In the con- 
versation Socrates analyzed his sentence and concluded that his judges 
had conferred upon him a great favor by ordering his death. These 
were his words : ' If death be a going hence to the place where I shall 
enjoy the company of Homer and Hesiod and the good from all lands 
and ages, what greater benefit could my judges confer upon me than 
to order me to be introduced to such company ? ' After reasoning that 
immortality is a reasonable probability, he summed up all by saying, 
' This, or something like this, is the destiny of our souls. The risk is 
overbalanced by the gain. It is well to find a charm for one's fears.' " 

— David Gregg, D. D. 



Library, Addison's Cato. Act V, Scene 1 . — The best that reason can 
do, contrasted with Christ's Infallible Proofs. 

" It must be so, — Plato, thou reasonest well ! 
Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, 
This longing after immortality ? 
Or whence this secret dread, and inward horror, 
Of falling into naught ? Why shrinks the soul 
Back on herself, and startles at destruction ? 
Tis the divinity that stirs within us ; 
'Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter, 
And intimates eternity to man." 

Cato was one of the best of the Romans who lived before Christ and 
is said to have been reading in his last moments Plato's dialogue on the 
Immortality of the Soul. 

Resurrection of Seeds. — "I hear the resurrection cry rising from 
the thousand growing seeds. There are eighty thousand kinds of 
plants with their millions and millions of seeds ; and each seed con- 
tains the doctrine of a resurrection and a future life. Each seed has 
its individuality, and God never mistakes one seed for another. In 
the resurrection of seeds he never gives one seed the body which be- 
longs to another. A seed may be wrapped away for a thousand years 
in the cerements of the Egyptian mummy, but a thousand years can- 
not hinder its resurrection God preserves its life and its identity, and 
when planted gives it a resurrection and gives it its own body. If 
God thus clothes the grass of the field, will he not clothe you, O man ? '' 
— David Gregg, D. D. 



I: 4 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



4. And, being assembled together with them, commanded 
them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for 
the promise of the Father, which, saxtli he, ye have heard of me. 



A. D. 30. 

May. 
JERUSALEM. 
The 
Promise 

of the 
Father. 



' ' I stood last year in the central aisle of the Health 
Exposition at South Kensington and observed a grace- 
ful young English girl lost in momentary interest over 
the show-case, which contained in crude form in- 
gredients like those in her fair and beautiful frame, 
measured out, and bottled and labeled — were the constituents of a 
human body : lime, water, phosphorus, silex, iron, and the 
other elements which are woven into bone and muscle and 
blood. As I watched her half -amused, half-incredulous 
countenance the question came into my mind, 4 Why 
should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God 
should raise the dead ? ' God has raised these elements, these coarse 
ingredients in these glass jars, by the delicate chemistry of nature, and 
there they are in the peerless beauty, the joyous health, the exquisite 
capacity, and the lovely human life of that bright maiden, who con- 
templates with an incredulous smile these materials of her being." 

— Sir Edwin Arnold. 

These elements are now at Bethnal Green Museum, a branch of that 
at South Kensington. 



There — exactly 



The Man 
in Glass 
Bottles. 



4. Being Assembled Together. — <ruva\ij;6fi.€vos from <rw with, and 
either a\s salt, " eating salt together," hence assembled in close associa- 
tion ; or aX/qs, crowded, hence crowded together. 

Commanded. — napTjyyeiXev, " to transmit a message along from 
one to another, hence as a military term of passing a watchword or 
command." 

— M. R. Vincent. 

Promise. — 'Eiray^Xiav, signifying a free promise, given without 
solicitation, announcing that one is about to do or furnish something of 
his own accord. 



The Promise of the Father. — " The Promises of God are the moulds 
into which we pour our prayers." — D. L. Moody. 



Library. — The Tract, Expectation Corner (8 cts. Partridge, London) 
one of the very best allegories on prayer ever written, shows us why 
the fulfilment of the promise was so long delayed. 



10 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



I: 5 -7 



5. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy 
Ghost uot many days hence. 

6. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, 
will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 

7. And he said unto them, it not for you to know the times or the seasons, 
which the Father hath put in his own power. 



Wait for the Promise. — Adam Slowman was led into the Lord's 
treasure houses, and among many other wonders there revealed to him 
was the Delayed Blessings Office, where God kept certain 
Delayed things prayed for until the wise time came to send them. 
Blessings "It takes a long time for some pensioners to learn that 
Office. delays are not denials. . . . Ah, there are secrets of 
love and wisdom in the ' Delayed Blessings Department ' 
which are little dreamt of. Men would pluck their mercies green when 
the Lord would have them ripe." Therefore will the Lord wait, that 
he may be gracious unto you (Isa. 30: 18). 



Baptized With Water. — Baptized With the Holy Ghost. — The 
two ways of living represented by the baptism of John, and the baptism 
of the Holy Spirit, may be illustrated (1) by a boat rowed with great 
toil against wind and tide, compared with the same boat sweeping over 
the waves, with sails filled with a favoring wind; (2) by the efforts to 
remove the snow and ice of winter by shovels and dynamite, and their 
removal by the warm breath of spring; (3) by our experience with house 
plants in an unfavorable exposure. By constant care, by destroying the 
insects, by picking off the dead leaves, something can be done; but what 
gives them good health and bloom, is fresh air and plenty of sunshine 
pouring into them new life. 

" ' Tis life of which our nerves are scant, 
More life, and fuller, that we want." 



The Two Clocks. — As I was walking around the Edinboro' Museum 
with the gentleman at the head of this institution, he pointed out to 
me two clocks, one at each end of the main room. One was irregular, 
and did not keep very good time. It went by its own machinery alone. 
The other went steadily on, keeping regular and accurate time, because 
it was an electric clock, and its works were moved and guided from the 
observatory. 

7 Power. — 'Efjovo-ia (from 4k and eivcu, to be from a person as the 
source or cause); hence power, authority, absolute control. A different 
word from Power in ver. 8. 



I: 7 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



Not Know the Times and Seasons. 

" O, blindness to the Future! kindly given, 
That each may fill the circle marked by heaven.' 

— Pope. 

11 Too-curious man, why dost thou seek to know 
Events which, good or ill, foreknown, are woe? 
Foreknowledge only is enjoyed by heaven, 
And for his peace of mind to man forbidden." 



A. ». 30. 

May 28. 
MOUNT OF 
OLIVES. 
Last 
Words of 
Jesus. 



— Dryden. 



Tapestry Weavers. — One of the most interesting places in the 
world is the Gobelin Tapestry factory near Paris, where are woven by 
hand from woolen threads charming pictures of almost every repre- 
sentative scene on earth. Looking at the back of one, we saw it covered 
with ends and thrums, a mystery of confusion and tangle, a jumble of 
colors, without order or meaning and resembling the picture on the right 
side only as the tuning of an organ resembles an oratorio. And yet 
the artist stands behind his web, and does all his work from the reverse 
side. He does not see the picture as it comes into being. But with the 
material at his side and the copy he is to follow above him, by imitating 
that exactly in every form and color, though working on the reverse 
side where he cannot see his unfolding work, he weaves the true picture 
on his loom. Thus we see a large part of God's work in the world on 
the reverse side, the ends and thrums, and not the defined picture with 
the "times and seasons." But God knows, and at last when we see the 
right side of the work God is slowly weaving through the agss, we shall 
be wrapt in admiration of the radiant picture and hear once more the 
" morning stars sing together," and " all the sons of God shout for joy." 

In the same way we are weaving our own lives from the reverse side. 

There are mysteries in every life of which we do not know the mean- 
ing. Christ says to us as he said to Peter, " What I do thou knowest 
not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." No one ever yet at the 
beginning of life knew the full meaning and possibilities of his life. We 
learn our A. B. C. but know little of the wonderful literature the simple 
alphabet may spell out. But at length God will show us the right side 
of the picture which our life has been weaving so beautiful, of such 
exquisite glory and blessedness, that I sometimes think the first thing we 
will do when we reach heaven, will be to go straight to the Lord, and 
bowing at his feet cry out, 44 Lord, forgive all our murmurings at our 
lot, and take our inmost thanks for the way in which thou didst lead 
us, and- the plan of life thou didst prepare for us." 



12 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



1:8 



8. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye 
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and 
unto the uttermost part of the earth. 



" Theirs not to make reply, 
Theirs not to reason why, 
Theirs but to do and die." 

— Charge of the Light Brigade. 

Not because "someone had blundered," but because their unseen 
leader knew why and how he was leading them to victory. 



8. Power. — Svvajjuv, strength, ability, power; without reference to 
authority as in ver. 7. 



Ye Shall Receive Power. — Rev. Mr. Arthur, in his Tongue of Fire, 
compares the church, or the soul, without the gift of the Spirit, to (1) 
iron wire laid for a telegraph. It is powerful only when attached to the 
battery. The late." invention of the electric light would make the com 
parison still stronger. The points, or the fine wire of the lamp, are dark 
and cold till the connected battery makes them give forth a light which 
suggests the sun itself. 



Reference — God wants conductors under VIII: 4. 



Machinery a Power. — " It is as if you saw a locomotive engine upon 
a railway, and it would not go, and they put up a driver and they said : 
'Now that driver will just do.' They try another and another. One 
proposes that such and such a wheel shall be altered ; but still it will 
not go Some one then bursts in among those that are conversing, and 
says, ' No, friends, but the reason why it will not go is because there is 
no steam ; you have no fire ; you have no water in the boiler ; that's 
why it will not go. It will go well enough if you but get the steam 
up.' But now people are saying, ' This must be altered, and that must 
be altered.' But the church's great want is the Holy Spirit ; and until 
that want be supplied, we may reform and reform, and still be just the 
same." — C. H. Spurgeon. 



Rooms to Let with Power. —Mrs. Pearsall Smith, not long ago, 
said in an address that she often saw in Philadelphia the sign, Rooms 
to let with power. Such God offers us. All the places in which we are 



1:8 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



13 



to work, all our duties, God gives us with power to 

make them effective ; but we must accept and use the A. D. 30. 
power that is given us. May 28. 

MOUNT OF 
OLIVES. 

Using God's Power. — Nature's powers are inex- premise 
haustible by any use we can make of them. The and L,ast 
rivers rise from the ocean into which again they flow, 
and keep the source full. The scientific doctrine of 4" 
the conservation of forces shows those forces to be inexhaustible. For 
instance, there is practically no limit to the amount of electricity that 
may be generated. "Some years ago it was necessary to remove a 
very dangerous bed of rocks under the East River at New 
York. A long tunnel was dug under the rocks ; gunpow- Firing the 
der and other explosives were placed all through and con- Mine at 
nected by wires with an electrical machine. When the Hurlgate. 
appointed time arrived, at the command of her father, the 
superintendent of the work, a little girl touched a brass knob in the 
machine, fired the mine, and the rocks were scattered and destroyed. 
She knew nothing of electricity, only with faith she obeyed her father, 
and the work was done. So every child can have the help and power 
of the Spirit for every difficulty and temptation, if with faith in their 
Heavenly Father, and His promises, they ask and seek, for they shall 
receive and find." — A. G. Tyng in Sunday School Times. 



Power Comes by Prayer. — " The secret of power is fire kindled from 
above. One man, if God be with him, stands undismayed among a thou- 
sand foes and can carry off the gates of Gaza and lift the pillars of 
Dagon's temple. 

It is said of Themistocles, at the battle of Salamis, that he delayed 
that naval engagement until the land-breeze blew which swept 
his vessels toward the foe, and left every oarsman free to 
act as bowman and spearman." — Rev. Arthur T. Pier son, Themis- 
D. D. Thus we, receiving divine power and influence tocles and 
in answer to prayer, are free to give soul and body to the wind, 
doing the work of God 



The New Gift of the Spirit. — The Holy Spirit had been in the 
world before this, as the Old Testament Scriptures abundantly testify, 
but now came the dispensation of the Spirit, filling all, and not a few, 
abiding, not occasional, in great abundance and power. Formerly the 
gift was like the dew, now it is like the rain ; formerly like the early 
dawning light, now like the full splendor and power of the day. 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



1:8 



Tennyson's Bugle Song is equally true if we substitute "God's" for 
" our ": 

" O Love, they die on yon rich sky, 

They faint on hill and field and river, 
(God's) echoes roll from soul to soul 
And grow forever and forever." 



The Power that Removes Ice from the Harbor. — One may as well 
try to remove the snow from our fields, or the ice from our lakes, with 
shovels and carts, without the aid of the shining of the sun in spring, 
as to take away sin from the human heart, and cause the plants of 
righteousness to flourish therein, without the presence of the Holy Spirit. 



Using the Power of Waterworks. — Pipes are of service only when 
they are in connection with a source of supply. The best plumbing in 
the world, with draw-pipes and faucets in every room in the house, 
wouldn't enable you to secure a single glass of water for a thirsty child 
unless the connection was made with the street mains, which in their 
turn were connected with the reservoir. — H. C. Trumbull, LL.D. 



The Sun and Clouds. — Mountains of ice, mountains of cloud, easily 
removed by the shining of the sun, though impossible to human energy. 

Applications to mountains of difficulty, to reforms, to the conversion 
of the world, to missions, to mountains of trial, to hindrances in our 
work. 



Magnetic Current and Power. —Col. King, at Willard's Point, 
Long Island, wound ten miles of wire around an old Rodman gun, and 
sent an electric current through it. which changed the inert iron into a 
huge magnet that could lift 44,000 pounds, and hold up five cannon 
balls each weighing 500 pounds. Without the current it could lift 
nothing. 

Cannon, Powder and Fire. —There is a familiar illustration com- 
paring the preacher or teacher to a cannon. It may be 
made of the best material, made in the latest pattern, Fire and 
loaded with the best powder and shot ; but it can do Powder, 
nothing, it is useless without the fire. 

But we may turn the illustration around. It is useless to bombard 
Gibraltar with unloaded guns. All the lightnings of heaven cannot fire 
an unloaded cannon. It was the disciples who had been 
trained under Jesus, who had been prepared by believing, No Firing 
by training, by trials, by the teaching of Jesus, who received Unloaded 
the power of the Holy Ghost. If God wishes a man to do Cannon. 



1:8 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



15 



good service for Him He leads him to prepare for "f 1 ' 

that work, and then he receives the power. It was a. D. 30. 

so with Dr. Gordon, with Luther, with the apostles, May 28. 

with all those whom the Holy Spirit has used for great M olives )F 

service to man. Last 

Promise 

and Last 

~ , -r^. <, T , „ Command. 

D. L. Moody's Experience. — " I can myself go 

back almost twelve years, and remember two holy *^ ' 
women who used to come to my meetings. It was 
delightful to see them there. When I began to preach, I could tell by 
the expression of their faces that they were praying for me. At the 
close of the Sabbath evening meetings they would say to me, ' We have 
been praying for you.' I said, 'Why don't you pray for the people?' 
They answered, 1 You need the power.'' ' I need power?' I said to my- 
self, 'Why, I thought I had power.' I had a large Sabbath-school, 
and the largest congregation in Chicago. There were some conver- 
sions at the time. I was, in a sense, satisfied. But, right along, these 
two godly women kept praying for me, and their earnest talk about 
'anointing for special service' set me to thinking. I asked them to 
come and talk with me, and we got down on our knees. They poured 
out their hearts that I might receive an anointing from the Holy Spirit, 
and there came a great hunger into my sold. I did not know what it 
was. I began to cry as I never did before. The hunger increased. I 
was crying all the time that God would fill me with His Spirit. Well, 
one day, in the city of New York — oh, what a day ! I cannot describe 
it ; I seldom refer to it; it is almost too sacred an experience to name. 
Paul had an experience of which he never spoke for fourteen years. 
I can only say God then revealed Himself to me, and I had such an ex- 
perience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand. I went 
to preaching again. The sermons were not different ; I did not present 
any new truths ; and yet hundreds were converted. I would not now 
be placed back where I was before that blessed experience if you would 
give me all Glasgow — it would be as the small dust of the balance." 
— Dwight L. Moody, in Address at Glasgow. 



Electric Wires and Power. — " Just in front of the study window 
where I write is a street, above which it is said that a powerful electric 
current is constantly moving. I cannot see that current : it does not 
report itself to hearing, or sight, or taste, or smell, and so far as the 
testimony of the senses is to be taken, I might reasonably discredit its 
existence. But I see a slender arm, called the trolley, reaching up and 
touching it ; and immediately the car with its heavy load of passengers 



i6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



1:8 



moves along the track as though seized in the grasp of some mighty 
giant. The power had been there before, only now the car lays hold of 
it or rather is laid hold of by it, since it was a touch, not a grip, through 
which the motion was communicated. And would it be presumptuous 
for one to say that he had known something of a similar contact with 
not merely a divine force but a divine person? The change which 
ensued may be described thus : Instead of praying constantly for the 
descent of a divine influence there was now a surrender, however 
imperfect, to a divine and ever-present Being : instead of a constant 
effort to make use of the Holy Spirit for doing my work there arose a 
clear and abiding conviction that the true secret of service lay in so 
yielding to the Holy Spirit that He might use me to do His work. 
Would that the ideal might be so perfectly realized that over whatever 
remains of an earthly ministry, be it shorter or longer, might be written 
the slightly changed motto of Adolphe Monod : 

"All through Clirist : in the Holy Spirit: for the glory of God. All 
else is nothing ." — A. J. Gordon, D. D. 



And ye shall be witnesses. — Mdprupcs from which is derived our 
word " martyrs," who by their martyrdom become witnesses. 



Witnesses for God. — ' ' Every witness first emits his testimony, 
and is thereafter cross-examined on both its substance and its details. 
The evidence that a Christian gives directly, and in the first instance, 
consists in the whole course of his profession. By all this he testifies, 
that when he was lost with the world in sin, Christ the Son of God, by 
dying, saved him. A great multitude in this land emit readily this 
evidence in chief; and in this department the majority acquit them- 
selves well. The real strain comes in the cross-examination, — alas ! 
many of the witnesses break down there. Either or both of two 
persons may, according to circumstances, conduct the cross-examina- 
tion, — the judge or the adversary. It is ordinarily done by the ad- 
versary; but the judge permits the adversary to cross-examine, and 
occasionally puts a question himself. The life of a disciple is one long 
stance in the witness-box, under cross-examination by a severe ad- 
versary. The question is not now, What do you believe? but, Ig your 
life consistent with your profession ? " — Arnot. 



Christian Lands as Witnesses. — It has been well said the com- 
parison of the various religions in the Parliament of religions was im- 
perfect and unfair, because it was a comparison of theories and not 



1:8 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



17 



results, of books, and not what the books had done 
for people under their influence. If we would get the 
true witnesses, we should bring together in our par- 
liament, not merely the best religious thoughts, but 
sections of the people who have been trained under 
those religions, specimens of what they have done. 
Compare the fruits, which are the real witnesses to 
the tree. The number of weeds is no standard, for 
then Sahara would be better than the choicest garden 
in the world. 

When some one said to Wendell Phillips that Hindooism was as good 
as Christianity, he replied "India is the answer." 



A. ». 30. 

May 28. 
MOUNT OF 
OLIVES. 

Last 
Promise 
aud Last 
Command. 



The Two Maps of the World. — Suppose we make two maps of 
the world on the plan furnished by the United States census to show 
the degree in which ignorance, certain diseases, and many other things 
prevail, by means of lighter and darker shades. On one map we will 
note the countries where the purest Christianity prevails, by white. A 
darker shade will mark the more imperfect forms, and there let the 
shades grow darker and darker through Mahommedanism, and the 
various forms of heathenism till we come to the blackness of the lowest 
fetishism. 

Then, with entire independence, make a similar map of the moral 
and intellectual condition of men. Where there is the most manhood, 
the noblest womanhood, the highest morality, the most of all that 
elevates the people, and brings the greatest happiness, — these put in 
white, darken the shades as these things grow less, till we come to the 
blackness of the lowest savagery. 

Bring the two maps together and they will exactly coincide. Where 
there is the most Christianity, there will be the most of all that is good 
for man. 



Unto the Uttermost Part of the Earth. — The light that shines 
the farthest away, shines the brighest nearest home. 



The Stream. — " He could no more limit his benevolent affection, or 
benevolent activity to those near by him, than a full mountain stream 
could determine to flow only so far. 

"If there be but little water, that fact sets a bound beyond which the 
stream cannot pass; but the fuller and mightier the current the broader 
the channel and the farther the onflow. Imagine the sun bidding his 
own beams bless only the nearest planets, and let Uranus and Neptune 
be bound in eternal night and ice. " — A. T. Pierson. 

Keep the top spinning or it falls. 
2 



18 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



I: 9 



9. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up ; 
and a cloud received him out of their sight. 



The Broad and the Narrow Church — Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes 
once compared the world to a ship loaded with humanity, and sinking 
in the waves; while the evangelical church people had got 
out of it into their little boats, and were singing w ith all The Ship of 
their might "We are safe," as they rowed lustily to the Humanity, 
shore. But that is no true picture of the true church, 
whose shout is not merely " We are safe," but " Here is the way of safety 
for all; come, and let us row you to the shore." 

There are two marks that distinguish the true Broad church from 
the Narrow church — (1.) The Broad church reaches out to the ends of 
the earth and embraces all nations within its prayers, its labors and its 
gifts. The narrow church is chiefly devoted to home affairs and those 
near by. (2.) The Broad church embraces both worlds, heaven and 
earth; the Narrow church confines its interests and its gifts chiefly to 
this world. 



"I may not stay to see the day 
When the Great Saviour shall bear sway 
And earth shall glitter in the ray 

That cometh from above. 

But come it fast or come it slow — 
'Twill come at last, I surely know, 
And heaven and earth shall feel the glow,— 
And men shall call it love." 



Pictures. — The Ascension. By Gaddi at Florence ; by Mantegna, 
Florence ; by Dore, London ; by John La Farge in the Church of the 
Ascension in New York ; by Luca della Rabbia, and Pachiarotto. 

Stereoscopic Photographs from Nature, (Underwood & Underwood, 
N. Y.) of The Mount of Olives, and of Bethany, make the scene almost 
as real as if we were looking upon it in Palestine. 



9. He was Taken up and a Cloud Received Him out of Their 
Sight. — A few years ago, a delegation of Sioux Indians was present at 
a public meeting in the Philadelphia Academy of Music. Red Cloud, 
whose burly form and natural eloquence had attracted much attention, 
was called upon to speak. Turning to Mr. G. H. Stuart, he said : 
"Red Cloud wants to ask you one question, Who made 
us? Did you ever see the Great Spirit or His Son ? You have Red Cloud's 
told Red Cloud that the Great Spirit came down from Questions. 



I: 9 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



T 9 



heaven, and dwelt among the white men, and that He 
went up again. (Pondering for a few minutes) What 
did He go up again for ? Red Cloud has come, and he 
wants to find out." Many others want an answer. 
(1) By Christ's ascension we see His true nature, as 
divine ; (2) He ascended that He might be the omni- 
present Savior of all men alike ; (3) that we might be 
taught to live by faith, and not by sight ; (4) to train us up into His 
character by doing His work ; (5) He has gone to prepare a place for us, 
as well as us for the place. 

Ascension of Elijah and of Christ. — "The ascension of Elijah 
may be compared to the flight of a bird, which none can follow ; the 
ascension of Christ is, as it were, a bridge between earth and heaven, 
laid down for all who are drawn to Him by His earthly existence." — 
Baumgarten. 

Which Way is Up. — There is a stupid objection raised, that, as the 
world is turning around all the time, going up would not necessarily 
lead to any point in the sky called heaven. But if there is such a cen- 
tral point, any being going up from this world a short distance could 
change his course to that direction, no matter in which direction he 
started. 



The Transformation of Jesus' Body. — It was at this time, doubt- 
less, that the great change came over His body described in 1 Cor. 15 : 
51-53, so that what we know of His appearance now in His spiritual 
body we learn from the transfiguration where " His face did shine as 
the sun," and "His raiment was white and glistering ; " and in Rev. 1 ; 
13-16, where "His eyes were as a flame of tire, and His feet like unto 
fine brass as if they burned in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of 
many waters." 

Changes in the Body. — Those who had seen Christ only in His 
human form were like those who had seen only the seeds of the rose 
or bulb of the lily, but had no vision of the blossoms which could grow 
out of them. Imagine a palace beautifully lighted within, but with 
closed blinds and drawn curtains. Then imagine its appearance to one 
without when the blinds and doors are thrown open, and the brilliance 
within bursts forth from every opening. 



Cathedral Window from Within or Without. — Hawthorne com- 
pares Christianity to a grand cathedral with divinely pictured windows. 
Viewed from without, it is impossible to gain the slightest conception 
of the beautiful forms and radiant colors manifest to those who look at 



A. D. 30. 

May 18. 
MOUNT OF 
OLIVES. 
The 
Ascension. 



20 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



I: 10 



10. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, 
two men stood by them in white apparel; 



them from within. So it is with Christ. There is a glory in Him not 
visible to those without, but revealed to those who dwell in His heart 
of hearts. 

Transformations. — Alumina, common earth, can become oriental 
ruby, topaz, amethyst, sapphire, or emerald. Silica can become jasper, 
opal, or Brazilian ruby. Charcoal can become diamond. Why may 
not the body become equally lustrous, — nay, luminous ? That which is 
designed to be a temple of the Holy Ghost ought to be fit. It must be 
capable of such glory that John, not yet out of the body, falls to wor- 
ship, and finds the object to be only one of his brethren the prophets; 
Old bodies do not need to be cast aside, but to have their super- 
amethystine capabilities brought out." — Bp. H. W. Warren, LL.D., 
in S. S. Times. 

" He climbed Love's ladder so high 
From the round at the top he stepped to the sky." 



10. Looked Steadfastly Toward Heaven. 

Were looking steadfastly, &t€vH;ovt€s ^<rav, from d intensive and t€£vo> 
to stretch, hence fixed attention, which word is almost a translitera- 
tion of the Greek, through the Latin. The form and tense denote con- 
tinuous steadfast attention. 



The Gazing Disciples. — The feelings of the disciples while waiting 
for Jesus to fulfil His promise that He would appear to them in Galilee 
as their risen Lord are thus represented by Arthur Clough : 
" Ye men of Galilee ! 
Why stand ye looking up to heaven, where Him ye ne'er may see 
Neither ascending hence, nor returning hither again? 

Ye ignorant and idle fishermen ! 
Hence to your huts, and boats, and inland native shore, 
And catch not men, but fish ; 
Whate'er things ye may wish, 
Him neither here nor there ye e'er shall meet with more. 

Ye poor deluded youths, go home ; 
Mend the old nets ye left to roam ; 
Tie the split oar, patch the torn sail ; 
It was an idle tale — 
He was not risen !." 



I: 10 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



21 



Still, it is not possible that they were so hopeless. 
They were waiting in hope, perhaps doubting hope, 
for the Lord's time to come. 



A. ». 30. 

May 18. 
MOUNT OF 
OLIVES. 
The 

The Return of Jesus. — 4 « When you look up to 
the sky on a clear night, and fix your eye on two 
stars shining near each other with equal brightness, 
they seem to your sense equally distant from the earth. But if 
one is a planet of our system, and the other a fixed star, the 
difference between their distances is very great. The 
distance of the planet from the earth is only a small frac- The Planets 
tion of the distance of the star. Into the spiritual firma- and the 
ment these men of Galilee looked. They saw objects Fixed. Stars, 
distinctly ; but they could not judge correctly of relative 
distances and magnitudes. The two objects were clearly set before 
them in the writings of the prophets and the words of Jesus, — these 
two, their own baptism with the Holy Ghost as with fire, and the res- 
toration of the kingdom to Israel, — the union of all nations under 
David's sceptre in the New Jerusalem. The Master had now given 
them the distance of one of these objects : it was at hand. * Ye shall 
be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.' It was natural 
that they should expect that the same bright particular star, which 
they had been accustomed to see shining side by side with it in the 
pure expanse, would approach also at the same time. ' Lord, wilt thou 
at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? ' " — Wm. Arnot in 
The Church in the House. 



Memnon's Morning Song. — " The death and departure of Christ 
were to His followers like the fabled statue of Memnon, which sent 
forth sounds, mournful in the night, but melodious at the rising of 
the sun." 

" O golden day, so long desired, 
Born of a darksome night, 
The swinging globe at last is fired 

By thy resplendent light. 
And hark ! like Memnon's morning chord 

Is heard from sea to sea 
This song : One Master, Christ the Lord ; 
And brethren all are we." 
— Rev. C. A. Dickinson, D. D., pastor of Berkely Temple, Boston. 



22 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



I: II 



11. Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why Btand ye gazing up into heaven? 
this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like 
manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven. 



Looking for the Second Coming. — " The doctrine of the Lord's 
second coming as it appears in the New Testament," says 
an eminent Scotch preacher, "is like a lofty mountain TheMoun- 
which dominates the entire landscape." An admirable tain in 
illustration ! For in such a case, no matter what road you the Land- 
take, no matter what pass you tread, you will find the scape, 
mountain bursting on your vision at every turn of the way 
and at every parting of the hills. What first struck me now, in read- 
ing the New Testament, was something like this : Whatever doctrine 
I was pursuing, whatever precept I was enforcing, I found it fronting 
toward and terminating in the hope of the Lord's second coming. 

To pursue the figure farther. As all the roads lead toward the 
mountain, so conversely the mountain looks out upon all the roads. 
Take your stand in the doctrine of the Lord's coming and make it your 
point of observation for viewing Scripture, and your map of redemp- 
tion will very soon take shape, and the relation of part to part will 
become apparent. Just as Christ crucified is the center of soteriology, 
so Christ coming again is the center of eschatology." — A. J. Gordon in 
Hoiv Christ Came to Church. 



How Christ Came to Church. — "It was Saturday night, when 
wearied from the work of preparing Sunday's sermon, that I fell asleep 
and the dream came. I was in the pulpit before a full 
congregation, just ready to begin my sermon, when a Dream of 
stranger entered and passed slowly up the left aisle of the Dr. Gordon, 
church looking first to the one side and then to the other which 
as though silently asking with his eyes that some one Changed 
would give him a seat. He had proceeded nearly half-way His Life, 
up the aisle when a gentleman stepped out and offered him 
a place in his pew, which was quietly accepted. Excepting the face 
and features of the .stranger, everything in the scene is distinctly 
remembered — the number of the pew, the Christian man who offered 
its hospitality, the exact seat which was occupied. Only the counte- 
nance of the visitor could never be recalled. That his face wore a 
peculiarly serious look, as of one who had known some great sorrow, 
is clearly impressed on my mind. His bearing, too, was exceeding 
humble, his dress poor and plain, and from the beginning to the end of 
the service he gave the most respectful attention to the preacher. 
Immediately as I began my sermon my attention became riveted on 



I: II 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



23 



this hearer. If I would avert my eyes from him for ^ 

a moment they would instinctively return to him, so 
that he held my attention rather than I held his till 
the discourse was ended. 

"To myself I said constantly, 'Who can that 
stranger be?' and then I mentally resolved to find out 

by going to him and making his acquaintance as ^ »f" 

soon as the service should be over. But after the 
benediction had been given the departing congregation filed into the 
aisles and before I could reach him the visitor had left the house. 
The gentleman with whom he had sat remained behind, however ; and 
approaching him with great eagerness I asked : ' Can you tell me who 
that stranger was who sat in your pew this morning ? ' In the most 
matter of course way he replied : * Why, did you not know that man ? 
It was Jesus of Nazareth.' With a sense of the keenest disappoint- 
ment I said : 4 My dear sir, why did you let Him go without intro- 
ducing me to Him ? I was so desirous to speak with Him.' And with 
the same nonchalant air the gentleman replied : ' Oh, do not be 
troubled. He has been here to-day, and no doubt He will come again.' 

" And now came an indescribable rush of emotion. As when a strong 
current is suddenly checked, the stream rolls back upon itself, and is 
choked in its own foam, so the intense curiosity which had been going 
out toward the mysterious hearer now returned upon the preacher : 
and the Lord Himself, 'whose I am and Whom I serve,' had been 
listening to me to-day. What was I saying? In what spirit did I 
preach ? What did He think of our sanctuary ? How was He impressed 
with the music and the order of worship ? A lifetime, almost an eter- 
nity of interest crowded into a single moment." — Rev. A. J. Gordon, 
D. D., late Pastor of the Clarendon Street Baptist Church, Boston. 

This dream of the personal coming of Jesus had such an effect upon 
Dr. Gordon that it changed his life, and his ministry, and his church. 



The Promised Return means the triumph of the Gospel. Jesus 
riding in triumphal procession to Jerusalem was an object lesson, a 
living parable, setting forth His triumphal march down the ages. 
" All the ideas that were incarnated in His career and emblazoned in 
His final sufferings, and death, and resurrection are destined to be 
triumphant." — Morison. Palm Sunday also prefigured the entire his- 
tory of the church here below. The history of the church is the march 
of the glorified Lord Jesus across continents and centuries. He 
advances on the earth as on the road to Jerusalem, with the calm 
majesty of a sovereign ; He takes possession of things and of men ; He. 
makes them His instruments and His servants, just as on Palm Sunday 



A. D. 30. 

May 18. 
MOUNT OF 

OLIVES. 
Promise of 
Return. 



24 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS I: 12, 1 3 



12. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Ol'ivet, which is 
from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey. 

13. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where 
abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bar- 
tholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphe'iis, and Simon ZelO'tes, and Judas 
the brother of James. 



He used the ass which did not belong to Him, and drew forth a 
glorious homage from all those mouths which on that day had no voice 
but for Him. Saluted by the songs of all the churches in all the coun- 
tries where His name is known, advancing from nation to nation, He 
marches towards the final domination of the whole world. — Prof. 
Frederic Godet, in Sunday-School Times. Commerce, railroads, print- 
ing presses, inventions, wealth, civilization are aiding His triumph, 
paving His way, and advancing His glory. All are cast down before 
Him in His onward march. 
There is joy, hope, glory, victory in the assurance of Christ's return. 



The Two Rooms. — Christ ascends from them in plain sight, and 
promises a return. There are not two worlds. There are different 
rooms in the same mansion. The doorway is narrow and dark, per- 
haps, but we quickly step from one to the other. We are now in the 
vestibule, not great, brilliant, nor much inhabited. It is only an 
approach. Inside is warmth, light, art, life, home, love. — Bp. H. W. 
Warren. 



The Twelve Apostles. — Jesus chose twelve disciples, that every 
man, in all time, might find himself represented among the apostles. 
The doubter finds himself in Thomas ; the fierce, hot-headed, quick- 
tempered man finds himself in John, the Son of Thunder ; the opinion- 
ated, impulsive man in Peter ; the hard-headed practical man, desiring 
the first place in the kingdom, in James etc. Vie are all there. And 
to all of us can come like fitness, worthy of apostleship. — Bp. H. W. 
Warren in Sunday School Times. 



Christ Transformed Common Men into apostles, the foundation 
stones of the New Jerusalem, the leaders of the kingdom that was to 
transform the world The charcoal was changed into diamonds. 
They were far from faultless, but the faults were flaws in a jewel, not 
the crudeness of the charcoal. 



I: 12, 13 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



25 



Weeds Changed to Useful Plants. — Cultivation, 
improvement by tillage, has done a good deal for some 
weeds. The potato and the tomato used to be called 
weeds ; but we do not call them so now, because, by- 
much care and attention, they have become useful, 
profitable, and far from troublesome to man. Accord- 
ing to Darwin, our most perfect and luscious fruits, 
and the most beautiful of our garden flowers have been 
cultivated into perfection from wild and poor stock. 



Obscure Greatness. — Many of these men are not heard of again in 
the Acts ; they were obscure in their origin, and their lives are not 
recorded. They are like the foundations of a light-house, unseen 
beneath the water. But the light-house could give no light without 
them. They have a part in every ray that shines from its top. 



Value of Unknown Workers. —The leaves which no one can 
name, which fall so unnoticed, unsung, yet do each one its work for 
the world. Each leaf sends a fibre through twig and 
branch and trunk to the root, which has been traced by Trees Made 
the microscope. So that a tree is the sum of the fibres by Leaves, 
which the leaves have made. The trunk is like a river 
made up of branches, and rivulets and brooks and trickling rills of the 
leaf threads. ''Behold," says Ruskin, "how fair, how far prolonged 
in arch and aisle, the avenues of the valleys ; the fringes of the hills ! 
So stately, — so eternal ; the joy of man, the comfort of all living 
creatures, the glory of the earth, — they are but the monuments of 
those poor leaves that hit faintly past us to die. Let them not pass, 
without our understanding their last counsel and example ; that we 
also, careless of monument by the grave, may build it in the world — 
monument by which men may be taught to remember, not where we 
died, but where we lived." Modem painters, " Leaf Monuments." 



Philips Brooks says that most of the work done in this world is done 
by people of one talent, or two. Another has said that ' ' a little man 
with a great Gospel is mightier than a great man with a little Gospel." 



Library. — Vance's The College of the Apostles, gives a good descrip- 
tion of the characteristics of the apostles, and the power of their distri- 
bution two by two. See also Suggestive Illustrations in Matthew, 
pp 201-203. 



jj* ■ >i> 

A. ». 30. 

May. 
JERUSALEM. 

The 
Apostles in 
an Upper 
Room. 

►J. Jfr 



26 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



1: 12, 13 




1 : 14 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 27 



14. These all continued with one accord in prayer and 
supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, 
and with His brethren. 



Pictures. — Durer's St. John and St Peter (Munich). 
Thorwaldsen's Statue of St. Peter (Copenhagen). St. 
Philip and St. James, Hans Memling (Venice). St. 
Mark, Murillo (Madrid), Gerini (Prato). St. John, Raphael, Domeni- 
chino. Heads of the Apostles, after original drawings by Da Vinci, 
all at Weimar except Thaddeus and Simon, which are in England. 
Stereopticon photographs of Jerusalem and vicinity (Underwoods, N. Y.). 



Continued. — rjo-av irpoo-KapTepovvTes from KapTepos, strong, and irpos 
to, strongly adhering to, persisting steadfastly as against all obstacles 
and enemies. 

One Accord. — 6|xo0vp.a8dv from 6p.6s together and 6vp.6s ardor, feel- 
ing, from 0{ia) to rush along. Not necessarily of one opinion, but of one 
zeal, feeling, desire, purpose. 

Continued. — Some one has said that perseverance is the only virtue 
that cannot be counterfeited. 

" And tell me how love cometh : 
It comes unseen, unsent. 
And tell me how love goeth : 
That was not love which went." 

— German Poem. 



With One Accord. 

" Many as the waves, but one as the sea." 



The Power of Numbers. — Twice one is more than two in spiritual 
arithmetic. The one hundred and twenty in this prayer meeting 
together with one accord were far more than 120 units. As units they 
would be 120 colors, together they were a cathedral window. As units, 
120 sounds; together, the oratorio of the Messiah. Each one adds 
effectiveness to all the others. 



A. D. 30. 

May 18-28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Ten Days 

Prayer 
Meeting. 



Library. — E. E. Hale's. — Ten Times One is Ten. — But that book 
shows that in time ten times one becomes ten thousand times ten 
thousand. 



28 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



It is the edge of the axe that does the cutting, but the weight of the 
back gives it power. One voice may utter the truth or the prayer, but 
power comes from the whole body of people behind it. 



Waiting in the Upper Room. — A minister " called upon a member 
who had been neglecting the week-night service, and went straight up 
to the fire-place in the sitting-room, and with the tongs removed a live 
coal from off the fire, and placed it on the hearth, then watched it 
while it turned from the red glow of heat to a black mass. The mem- 
ber in question carefully observed the proceeding, and then said, 4 You 
need not say a single word, sir; Til be there on Wednesday night.'"— 
Rev. H. L. Hastings in the Cliristian. 



In Prayer. — The reason why God requires importunity is not from 
His unwillingness to bestow, but by the importunity to make us fit 
to receive. The great difficulty with all God's gifts is on our part, to 
make us able and willing to receive. He wants to give us a thousand- 
fold more than we have received. 

' ' A blessing for which we are unprepared would only be an untimely 
blessing, and, like a December swallow, it would soon die, without 
nest or brood. And sometimes the long delay is but a test of faith, 
whetting and sharpening the desire." — H. Burton. Food is of no 
value to those who are not hungry. Books and colleges are no gift to 
those who care nothing for education. 



The Ten Days Waiting.— Every one needs silent times, spiritually 
as well as physically. We need them daily, weekly, and occasionally 
for longer periods. 

Every plant must have its period of rest ; and so must every soul, if 
it would be strong and healthy. The buds that will burst 
into leaf and blossom in the spring were formed in the Silent 
autumn, and gather strength during their long winter's Times, 
rest. There is intellectually what is called unconscious 
cerebration. A subject planted in our minds, and left there in silence, 
is gradually crystalized into the best forms, drawing to itself, like a 
magnet, the thoughts and facts which belong to it. Some of the first 
experiments in burning hard coal were failures, because they did not 
let it alone long enough. They left in despair, and, returning later, 
found a fire hotter than they had ever known. 

Out of times of enforced rest and silence, as by affliction, or poverty, 
or sickness, often comes the best work of our lives ; as the Benedictus 



I; i4 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



from Zacharias' nine months' silence ; as the Pilgrim's 
Progress from Bunyan's twelve years' imprisonment, 
when he was shut out from preaching. 



Library. — Andrew Murray's With Christ in the 
School of Prayer. 



A. ». 30. 

May. 
JERUSALEM. 
Choice of a 
New 
Apostle. 



2 9 



With the Women and Mary. 

" Who above all mothers shone, 
The mother of the Blessed One." 

"We are told of the Persian bird Juftak, which has only one wing. 
On the wingless side the male bird has a hook and the 
female a ring. When thus fastened together, and only The 
when fastened together, they can fly. The human race is Juftak. 
that Persian bird, the Juftak. When man and woman 
unite, they may soar skyward." — Gail Hamilton. 

At a meeting of the Presbyterian General Assembly, when the report 
on missions gave a large sum as derived from legacies and the Woman's 
Board, some one is said to have moved a vote of thanks to the dead 
men and the live women of our churches. 

The Woman's Board of Missions and the W. C. T. U., and many 
similar unions of women, show what women can do. The new relation 
of women to the world, the new developments of their position and 
power, are not so much for the purpose of entering business, as for car- 
rying on the work of the kingdom of God. As yet we have seen but 
the beginning. 



Devotion of Prussian Women. — "You remember the Prussian 
women after the battle of Jena, when Prussia seemed trampled into 
the bloody mire under the cannon of Napoleon and the feet of the 
horses and men of his victorious armies. Prussian women, never 
losing their courage, flung their ornaments of gold and jewelry into 
the treasury of the state, taking back the simple cross of Berlin iron, 
which is now the precious heirloom in so many Prussian families, bearing 
the inscription, ' I gave gold for iron.' That is the glory of woman- 
hood ; that passion and self-forgetfulness, that supreme self-devotion 
with which she flings herself into the championship of a cause that is 
dear, and sacred, and trampled under foot. It is her crown of renown ; 
it is her staff of power." — R. S. Storrs. 



Reference. — See under 21 : 9. 



3o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS I : 1 5— 18 



15. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said 
(the number of names together were about a hundred and twenty). 

16. Men and brethren, this Scripture must needs have, been fulfilled, which the 
Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was 
guide to them that took Jesus. 

17. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 

18. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity ; and falling 
headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 



16. Men and Brethren. — avSpcs dSeX^ol, Lit. men, brothers; brother 
men. Vincent. 

17. Obtained. — cXaxe. Lit. obtained by lot, i. e. received by divine 
allotment, or direction. 



Judas. — Judas grows worse and worse under the best influences. 
Nothing but a new heart would save him. Weeds grow in the richest 
soil and in the brightest sunshine. The result is that at last he opens 
the door of his heart to Satan, and henceforth is under his influence. 
Like the swine of Gadara driven down over the precipice into the 
sea, so Judas now rushes headlong into the depths of crime and infamy 
and ruin. 



There Are Two Kinds of Repentance : One is that of Judas, the 
other that of Peter; the one is "ice-broken, the other ice-melted." 
Repentance unto life will be repentance in life. 



Judas and Peter. — Judas was like a dead tree ; Peter like a living 
tree with one dead limb. Judas' character was a stream running in 
the wrong direction. Peter's was a stream running in the right direc- 
tion, with eddies and swirls in the wrong. 



18. Falling Headlong. — A vivid picture of past sins coming with 
new power over the soul is found in Shakespeare, Richard III. , Act V. , 
Scene 3, where the ghosts of those whom he had injured come to him 
in his dream, one by one, saying, ' ' Let me sit heavy on thy soul 
to-morrow. " 



The Punishment of Sin. — Some one said to a wicked man, " You do 
not look as if you had prospered by your wickedness." " I have not," he 
replied. " I have met with all manner of misfortunes. I have twice 



I: 19-26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 3 1 



19. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; 
insomuch as that field is called, in their proper tongue, 
AceTdama, that is to say, The field of blood. 

20. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation 
be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and, His bishopric 
let another take. 

21. "Wherefore of these men which have companied with us 
all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 

22. Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken 
up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection. 

23. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, 
and Matthi'as. 

24. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, 
shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, 

25. That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas 
by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. 

26. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthi'as; and he was 
numbered with the eleven apostles. 



been in state's prison ; but I tell you, my worst punishment is in being 
ivhat I am." So, on the other hand, the greatest reward of goodness is 
not an angel's harp or crown, or to walk the golden streets, but to be 
like an angel, to have the heavenly character. 



The Traitor. — Shakespeare's account of Brutus killing Cassar, his 
most intimate friend. 

" For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel." 
* * * * * * 

" This was the most unkindest cut of all ; 
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab, 
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms, 
Quite vanquished him : then burst his mighty heart." 



Purchased a Field. — Among many other significant devices, some 
beyond the seas have a picture of a man, with a full-blown bladder on 
his shoulders, another standing by and pricking the bladder with a pin ; 
the motto, " How suddenly ! " hinting thereby the sudden downfall of 
all worldly greatness." — Spencer. 



A. JD. 30. 

JERUSALEM. 

STORY OF 
THE END OF 
JUDAS. 

Matthias 
Cliosen. 



His Bishopric. — lirio-Ko-n-Tiv, the office of one who oversees, who 
looks upon. " Nearly all the evils in the church have come from 
bishops desiring power more than light. They want authority, not out- 



32 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



I : 19-26 



look. It is the king's office to rule ; the bishop's office is to oversee the 
flock ; to number it sheep by sheep ; to be always ready to give full 
account of it." — Rushin, in Sesame and Lilies. 
Reference, Blind Mouths, under XX : 28. 



Witness, [idprupa, one who bears testimony, not a spectator. Hence 
our word Martyr. 



To His Own Place. — It is natural for each to go to his own place, 
to the company he loves, to the society where he feels at home. It is 
so in nature. Each particle in a free saturated solution goes to its own 
place, and forms exactly the crystal which is made of such particles. 
In the soil, the particles go to their own place in tree or flower. 



A HANDFUL OF EARTH. 

" Here is a problem, a wonder for all to see, 

Look at this marvelous thing I hold in my hand ! 
This is a magic surprising, a mystery 
Strange as a miracle, harder to understand. 

What is it ? Only a handful of earth to your touch 
A dry, rough powder you trample beneath your feet, 

Dark and lifeless ; but think for a moment how much 
It hides and holds of that which is beautiful, bitter, or sweet. 

Think of the glory of color ! The red of the rose, 
Green of the myriad leaves and the fields of grass, 

Yellow as bright as the sun where the daffodil blows, 
Purple where violets nod as the breezes pass. 

Think of the manifold form of the oak and the vine, 
Nut, and fruit, and cluster, and ears of corn ; 

Of the anchored water-lily, a thing divine, 
Unfolding its dazzling snow to the kiss of morn. 

Think of the delicate perfumes borne on the gale, 
Of the golden willow catkin's odor of spring, 

Of the breath of the rich narcissus waxen-pale, 

Of the sweet pea's flight of flowers, of the nettle's sting. 

Strange that this lifeless thing gives vine, flower, tree, . 

Color and shape and character ; fragrance, too, 
That the timber that builds the house, the ship for the sea, 

Out of this powder its strength and its toughness drew ! 



1:19-26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 33 



Who shall compass or fathom God's thought profound ? 

We can but praise, for we may not understand ; 
But there's no more beautiful riddle the whole world 
round 

Than is hid in this heap of dust I hold in my hand." 

— Youth's Companion. 



A. ». 30. 

JERUSALEM. 

STORY OF 
THE END OF 
JUDAS. 

.VI it 1 1 Si in* 

Chosen. 



What a Good Man Would Do in Hell. — A good man being very 
despondent, and sure that he would be lost, was asked what he would 
do in hell if he went there. He replied that he would hold a prayer 
meeting there. The thought cured him, for he saw that there was not 
his own place. 



The Sister's Dream of Heaven. — A capital illustration is found 
in a little tract published by William Knowles, entitled Anna's Dream 
of Heaven. She dreamed that she was taken to heaven. The place 
was indescribably beautiful, the atmosphere was radiant with love, the 
music was entrancing beyond expression. Beautiful forms were danc- 
ing and singing the triumph of their Lord. They invited her to join, 
but she refused. The very sight hardened her heart. 

"At length the Lord of that glorious company, of those living, 
breathing, glittering forms of life, and light, and beauty, of those 
sounds of harmony, and those songs of triumph ; He saw me, and 
came up to speak to me. I thrilled in every part with awe. I felt my 
blood chill, and my flesh tremble, and yet my heart grew harder, and 
my voice grew bolder. He spoke and deep-toned music issued from His 
lips. 'Why, sittest thou so still, and all around thee are so glad? 
Come, join in the dance, for I have triumphed ; come, join in the song, 
for my people reign.' Love unspeakable He seemed to beam upon me, 
as though it would have melted a heart of stone. I felt it, but melted 
not ; I gazed an instant, and I said, ' I will not join in the song, for I 
know not the tune , and I will not join in the dance, for I know not the 
measure.'" 



20. And They Gave Forth Their Lots. — KX^pous. From the Greek, 
kleros, lot, we have the word clergy, being founded on the idea of 
the order as one divinely appointed ; or, as haviug an allotment of land. 
It is used in the plural in 1 Pe. v. 3, where it is rendered heritage, and 
is applied to Christians generally. 
3 



SXJGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS II: I, 2 



CHAPTER II. 



A. ». 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 

Day of 
Pentecost. 

TIBEKIAS, EMP. 
OF ROME. 
PILATE, GOV. OF 
JUDEA. 



1. And when the day of Pcn'tecost was fully come, they were 
all with one accord in one place. 

2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a 
rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they 
were sitting. 

Pictures. — Pentecost, G. Dore, London. 

Pentecost — Appropriateness of the Time. — (1) 
The " Feast of Harvest" (Ex. 23 : 16), for the disciples 
reaped a heavenly harvest in the gift of the Spirit ; 
gathered into the Church of Christ; (2) The "Feast of First Fruits" 
(Numb. 28 : 26), for these were but the first fruits of the great spiritual 
harvest that was to follow ; (3) the anniversary of the "Giving of the 
Law" from Sinai, fifty days after the exodus, for here was given the 
spirit of power that implanted the new heart which loved to obey 
the law. 



and 3,000 were 



Praying for the Blessing. — " The resources of the church will be 
multiplied in proportion as the church enjoys the presence and power 
of the Holy Ghost. How the old earth has continued to keep pace with 
all our civilization and science — why should I not amend that sentence 
and say, How the old, kind motherly earth has been keeping herself 
back, as if she would be wooed and entreated and besought to tell the 
secret of her heart and yield up the riches which she had bidden. The 
electric light was, as to its possibilities, in Eden, as certainly as it is in 
the metropolis of England to-day. The locomotive has not created 
anything but a new combination and a new application and use. The 
locomotive was lying beside the four rivers that flowed through Para- 
dise. Nothing has been added to the earth, no shower has fallen in the 
night-time to give the earth new riches and new susceptibilities ; we 
have had to dig and search and wait, and we have realized this great 
Scriptural injunction and exhortation, seek, and ye shall find ; ask, and 
it shall be given unto you, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 
Whosoever asketh receiveth, and whoso seeketh findeth, and the door 
is opened to him who knocks ujDon it as if he meant to go in." — Joseph 
Parker. 



II: I, 2 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



35 



A.D. 
30. 



30. 



Preparations. 



The Resurrection. The Ascension. 
Promise of Return. 
Ten Days Prayer Meeting. 



Birth of the Church. 



Gift of the Holy Spirit Fire and 
Tongues. 3,000 Converts. Peter's 
Preaching. 

| Church at Jerusalem. | 

A Beautiful Picture. Unity. Gen- 
erous Giving. Love Worship. 
Increasing Numbers & Character. 

Attacks from Without. 



Arrests. Deliverance. Persecution. 
Boldness. New Power. Oppor- 
tunity to Preach to the Rulers. 
Great Increase. 



Dangers Within. 



Ananias Sapphira Simon Magus. 
Warning. Purifying. Instructing. 



Organization. 



Seven Deacons Appointed. 
Stephen Preaching. 

| Great Persecution. | 

Stephen the Martyr. Church Scat- 
tered. Conversion of Paul. 



A. D. 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 

©ay of 
Pentecost. 

TIBERIAS, EMP. 
OF ROME. 
PILATE, GOV. OF 
JUDEA. 



BROADENING OF THE CHUKCH. 



Home Missions. 
Gospel spreads throughout Palestine and Syria 
to Cesarea, Antioch and Damascus, chiefly 
among Jews but including some Gentiles. 
Founding of the first Missionary Church 
at Antioch. 



Foreign Missions. 
First missionary journey by Paul and Barnabas. 
Cyprus, Cilicia, Pamphylia, Derbe, Lystra, Iconi- 
um. Sent out by the church at Antioch. 



Welcome of the Gentiles by the Mother Church 
at Jerusalem. Unity of the Church. 



Second Missionary Journey. 
Gospel extends through Asia Minor to Europe, 
Macedonia and Greece. 



First Epistles to the Churches. 
Besrinninsr of New Testament Epistles to the Thessalonians. 



Third Missionary Journey. 
Confirming and enlarging the church. 



Paul's Enforced Retirement at Cesarea. Rest and crystallization. 



Paul at Pome . Epistles. 



Release. Travels. Epistles. Martyrdom. 



Destruction of Jerusalem 



36 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



II: I, 2 



New Eras, New Impulses. — "There are no leaps in nature, and 
none in human history, but there are points of departure, critical 
periods, epochs. Energy proceeds from energy, life from life, thought 
from thought ; no link is ever missing in the chain of cause and effect ; 
the continuity cannot be broken. But there are moments when the 
plant bursts through the clod, the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis, 
the child is born, and the new thought flashes forth." — Prof. Nathaniel 
Smith, Ph. D. Such an era was now dawning. The fire from God was 
making a new epoch, kindling new life, creating new thought. 



With One Accord, 6p.o0u(xa86v, as on 1 : 14. 

It has been said, whether by poetry or science matters not, that there 
is a certain point in the upper air, in which all the dis- 
cordant sounds of the earth — the rattle of wheels, the Unity of 
chime of bells, the roll of the drum, the laugh of the Sounds in 
child— meet and blend in perfect harmony. Surely it is Upper 
more than a pleasant conceit, that when once lifted up in Air. 
fellowship in Christ Jesus, we meet in a high and heavenly 
place where all things are gathered together in one. — Rev. Wm. Adams. 
It is like the unity of a science, of a tree, of the human body, of an 
army, of a temple, of an anthem. 



Rushing Mighty Wind. — ^pop-ev^s irvofjs Biaias "a mighty wind 
borne along." tt-votjs, wind, is from irvlw, to breathe, to blow, whence 
also irvevjxa, spirit, breath. 



And Suddenly as they were praying. So the lightning breaks forth 
suddenly from the cloud, but the electricity that prepared for it had 
been gathering silently for hours. 



Sudden Bursts op Fire. — "I looked recently at a very remarkable 
sight, the burning of a huge floorcloth manufactory. I was just about 
returning home from my Master's work when I saw a little blaze, and 
in an incredibly short space a volume of fire rolled up in great masses 
to the skies. Why blazed it so suddenly ? Why, because for months 
before many men had been busily employed in hanging up the floor- 
cloth and in saturating the building with combustible materials ; I do not 
mean with the intention of making a blaze, but in the ordinary course 
of their manufacture ; so that when at last the spark came it grew into 
a great sheet of flame all at once. So sometimes when the gospel is 
faithfully preached a sinner gets present peace and pardon, and he is so 



11:3 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



37 



3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of 
fire, and it sat upon each of them. 



A. D. 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Oift of the 
Spirit. 



full of joy his friends cannot make him out, his 
progress is so rapid. But be it remembered that God 
has been mysteriously at work months before in that ^ 
man's heart, preparing his soul to catch the heavenly flame, so that 
there was only a spark needed, and then up rolled the flame to heaven. 
Oh that I could be that spark to some heart in whom God has been 
working this morning, but He alone can make me so ! " — C. H. Spurgeon. 



3. Cloven Tongues, Suafj-epitofievai •yXcSo-o-ai, tongues distributing them- 
selves throughout, f rom 8id, throughout, and h- € P^ w > to part, to distribute. 



Tongues Like as of Fire. — Fire is the best symbol of the Holy 
Spirit ; giving light, mysterious in nature, ineffably glorious, every- 
where present, illuminating all it touches, swift-winged, undefined and 
undefilable ; the source of life, of beauty, of warmth, comfort, joy. 
health, of power ; it makes reality visible, it destroys darkness, and 
disease germs it subdues with resistless energy, it is the great purifier. 
Without it the world would be a mass of coldness and death. 



" We speak of warm affections, fiery impulses, hearts glowing, spirits 
flaming with zeal. Where God's Spirit is there will be no coldness, no 
dead hard obstinacy as of black coal, and green, smoky wood ; where 
His Spirit is it will turn all into its own fiery likeness, and out of the 
most unpromising material will evoke shooting flames that aspire 
towards their source. — Maclaren. 



Water Enough but not Boiling. — " Dr. William Arnot of Edinboro 
used to tell of his being at a railway station where he grew weary of 
waiting for the train to move. He inquired if the trouble was want of 
water. " Plenty of water," was the quick reply, " but it is no biling.' 
We have no lack of religious machinery. If there is little or no pro- 
gress, may it not be that the water is " no biling." — Bib. Illustrator. 



Hot Hearts. — " Richard Sheridan said he often went to hear Row- 
land Hill preach, because his words flowed hissing hot from his heart. 
Chalmer's main forte as a preacher and college professor, it is said, was 
his ' blood earnestness. ' ' What we want, remarked a Chinese convert, 
is men with hot hearts to tell us of the love of Christ. — J. C. Jones 



38 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



H:3 



Dr. Finney's Experience. — As I turned, and was about to take a 
seat by the fire, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. 
Without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my 
mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection 
that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, 
the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go 
through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression like a wave of 
electricity, going through and through me. Indeed, it seemed to come 
in waves and waves of liquid love, for I could not express it in any other 
way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly 
that it seemed to fan me like immense wings. No words can express 
the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud 
with joy and love. * * * These waves came over me and over me and 
over me, one after the other, until I recollect I cried out : "I shall die 
if these waves continue to pass over me. " I said, Lord, I cannot bear 
any more ; " yet I had no fear of death. — C. G. Finney, D. D. 



The Wire and the Power. — In a sermon preached during the intro- 
duction of the electric light into the City Temple, his church in London, 
Dr. Parker said : " I see before me at this moment certain cords sus- 
pended from the roof of this building. We are, I understand, about 
to attempt the experiment of introducing for a brief period, the electric 
light into this building. Is that the electric light which I see now ? 
'Tis but a piece of dead cord; I could burn it, and yet it is necessary, 
yes, that must be allowed. What is wanted then is but to connect these 
cords with a motive power, near at hand or far away — but until the 
connection is established these festoons I see before me are but dead, 
useless things, without a spark of light which I can make available. 
Connect the cords, set the engine going, let it cause the necessary rota- 
tions to fly, and presently an arrangement may be made by which from 
these cords we shall receive a dazzling glory. They are nothing in 
themselves, and yet without them, the engine might go for a thousand 
ages, and we should get no light. 

" It is even so with us in our very soul and heart and mind. We are 
here, men educated, intelligent, well-appointed, and what is it that we 
need but connection with the heavens, direct communication with the 
source of light and fire? ' Come Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire. ' " 



Compare the coming of the fire upon the altar and sacrifice upon 
Mount Carmel, while Elijah was praying for the fire. 



Engine Without Fire. — "People say the great thing after all for a 
man to do is to do good. That is correct. But what would you think 



II': 4 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 39 



4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began 
to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 



of me if I said the great thing after all is for a train to 
go, when the train has not been attached to the engine ? 
You are perfectly right in saying that the train is 
useless if it does not go, and if the train is going it is 
all right. But you must bring within your argument the fact that 
the engine could not go without the fire, that the train cannot go unless 
attached to the engine, that the engine and the train move, vibrate, fly, 
under the rjower of light — the light that was sealed up in the bins of 
the earth ten thousand ages ago is driving your great locomotives 
to-day ! When, therefore, you tell me that a man must do good, and 
that is enough, you omit from your statement the vital consideration 
that we can only do these things as we are inspired by the indwelling 
Spirit of God." — Joseph Parker. 

" 'Tis Life wmereof our nerves are scant ; 
Oh, Life, not death, for which we pant ; 
More life and fuller, that we want." — Tennyson. 



The Life giving Power. —No man can mistake the summer sun 
when he sees it. He will not come home with half a tale of having 
seen some kind of light, but not being sure whether it was a gas-jet or 
an electric light or a new star. The sun need take no oath in proof of 
its identity. The shadows know it and flee away. The flowers know 
it and open. The hills know it and quiver with new joy. So the Holy 
Spirit in the soul produces the warmth and glow of a balmy clime. — 
W. A. Dickson, D. D. 



A cold church robs itself of the choicest blessings of heaven. Roses 
will not grow in Greenland. Trees will not blossom at the north pole- 
— I. C. Jones. 



Sat Upon Each of Them. —"The Holy Spirit 'sat upon each of 
them,' to indicate that henceforth He was to find in believers, and in 
the body of believers — the new church of Christ — His seat, His ' see.' 
We cannot but recall the descent of the Spirit, as a dove, abiding on 
Christ, at His baptism. The dove is a bird that craves a nest and a 
rest, unlike the raven, and such others as wander on restless wing." — 
A. T. Pierson. 



* 

A. ». 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Speaking 

with 
Tongues. 



4. Utterance, diro^Qe^^eo-Gai, to speak out in a clear, loud voice. 



40 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



H:4 



Other Tongues, Itc'pcus ^Xwcro-cus, strictly, different tongues, from 
their native tongues; the distinction being in quality rather than a 
numerical distinction, which is represented by a\\os. — M. R. Vincent. 



Filled with the Holy Ghost. — The Holy Spirit had always been 
in the world. He inspired the prophets of old. Jesus and John were 
both rilled with the spirit from their birth. Arthur in his Tongue of 
Fire illustrates the difference thus : A piece of iron is dark 
and cold ; imbued with a certain degree of heat, it becomes Degrees 
almost burning without any change of appearance ; imbued of Heat 
with a still greater degree, its very appearance changes to in Iron, 
that of solid fire, and it sets fire to whatever it touches. 
A piece of water without heat is solid and brittle ; gently warmed, it 
flows; further heated, it mounts to the sky. An organ 
filled with the ordinary degree of air which exists every- Water in 
where is dumb ; the touch of the player can elicit but a Many Forms, 
clicking of the keys. Throw in not other air, but an 
unsteady current of the same air, and sweet, but imperfect and uncer- 
tain, notes immediately respond to the player's touch ; 
increase the current to a full supply, and every pipe swells Degrees of 
with music. Such is the soul without the Holy Ghost, Air in an 
and such are the changes which pass upon it when it Organ, 
receives the Holy Ghost, and when it is "filled with the 
Holy Ghost." In the latter state only is it fully imbued with the 
Divine nature, bearing in all its manifestations some plain resemblance 
to its God, conveying to all on whom it acts some impression of Him, 
mounting heavenward in all its movements, and harmoniously pouring 
forth, from all its faculties the praises of the Lord. — W. Arthur. 



Oxygen in common air gives life to all ; the youngest babe, the tiniest 
insect can breathe it with comfort and fresh life. In the 
form of ozone it works more swiftly and brings decay, Oxygen in 
as to the autumn leaves. In the form of fire it shows Different 
mighty powers of which it gives no hint in the other Forms, 
forms. 



The Spring Sun Versus Green-houses. — Winter, with its snow and 
ice and bare trees, is influenced in some degree by the 
shining of the winter sun : we can raise some flowers in Hothouses, 
our greenhouses, and have some warmth in our homes by or Spring, 
artificial heat, which after all really comes from the sun. 
But what a difference when the spring sun shines, and the south winds 
blow, and the whole earth is transformed. 



II: 4 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



41 



The Gulf Stream. — "The Gulf Stream in its * — 

beneficent and hidden influence may be taken as a 
sort of parable of spiritual influence. This England 
of ours should be naturally and properly a land of 
almost eternal winter. For some eight months of the 
year our very seas ought to be frozen over, so that 

no ship could approach our shores. Our islands should 

be a rough, rude tract of country, where only the 
hardiest forms of life could survive — a land of forests where wild 
beasts should roam, whose furs should give to the place almost its only 
value, and where the deep snows should make agriculture almost 
impossible. This should be Great Britain — a proud name for so deso- 
late a tract. What mystery is this which delivers us ? Away in the 
distant southern world, in the fierce heat of the tropics, starts the Gulf 
Stream. It gathers the warmth of the sun, and sends it for thousands 
of miles across the seas to lave our shores. And thus the Arctic winter 
is driven from us ; and our ports are open all the year round ; over us 
stretch the kindlier skies ; about us blow the gentler winds ; our fields 
are covered with grass, the valleys are thick with corn ; the pastures 
are covered with flocks and herds, and this favored land is shut off 
from the extremes, and has the summer of the North with the winter 
of the South. Now think of some shivering native of Labrador, who 
has heard of this Gulf Stream, and scornfully shakes his head — 'I do 
not believe it,' says he; 4 it is impossible and absurd.' Well, I would 
not argue the subject. I would only invite him to come and see. 
' But where is this Gulf Stream which does such wonders? Can you 
see it?' No, we cannot see it, but it is there — hidden, noiseless, 
mingling with our waters and transforming our climate. The parable 
is a many-sided illustration of the truth. Of nature, of ourselves, we 
do dwell in a land of winter — frozen and well-nigh dead, without the 
energy to put forth any life of God. But, lo, about us do flow gracious 
influences from another world. We know not how, but by the Holy 
Spirit of God, there is breathed about us and within us the love of God, 
softening, transforming, bringing to us a new heaven and a new earth. 
And now do grow and flourish blessed things which before we knew 
not." — Mark Guy Pearse. 

' * 1 

" He came in a sound, to awake them ; in wind, to move them ; in 

fire, to enlighten and warm them ; in tongues, to make them speak." — 

Farindon. 



The Artist and His Tools. — " Look at the artist's chisel ; the artist 
cannot carve without it. Yet imagine the chisel, conscious that it was 
made to carve, and that it is its function, trying to carve alone. It 



A. D. 30. 

' May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Speaking 

with 
Tongues. 



42 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



II: 4 



lays itself against the hard marble, but it has neither stiength nor 
skill. Then we can imagine the chisel fuli of disappointment. 'Why 
cannot I carve ?' it cries. Then the artist comes and seizes it. The 
chisel lays itself into his hand, and is obedient to him. Thought, feeling, 
imagination, skill, flow down from the deep chambers of the artist's 
soul to the chisel's edge. The sculptor and the chisel are not two, but 
one ; it is the unit which they make that carves the stone. We are 
but the chisel to carve God's statues in this world. Unquestionably we 
must do the work But the human worker is 011I3- the chisel of the 
great Artist. The artist needs his chisel ; but the chisel can do nothing, 
produce no beauty of itself. The artist must seize it, and the chisel lay 
itself into his hand and be obedient to him. We must yield ourselves 
altogether to Christ, and let Him use us. Then His power, His wisdom, 
His skill. His thought, His love, shall flow through our soul, our brain, 
our heart, our fingers." — Bp. Phillips Brooks. 



" We are but organs mute, till a master touches the keys — 
Verily, vessels of earth into which God poureth the wine ; 
Harps are we, silent harps that have hung on the willow trees, 
Dumb till our heartstrings swell and break with a pulse divine." 

Power from Without. — "It was fulness of conscious life, which in 
turn breaks forth in wondrous action. All things are for this epoch 
possible. They begin to speak in foreign tongues. Their utterances 
are felt to be not their own. It is 'according as the Spirit granted 
them utterance.' They are the JEolian harps on which the wind is 
playing. The best of our speech and thought is in like manner from 
an inner fulness, and is felt not to be our own. What we do as we say 
'unconsciously,' i. e., conscious that it is not we but God in us, is our 
true deed. Mozart could not explain to his friend the process .of his 
marvelous musical constructions. At times the thoughts flowed into 
him in full stream, and he merely reported them as they came. We 
cannot artificially bring on the hour of inspiration. We must watch 
and wait and pray. For every faithful heart there are Pentecostal 
epochs. And of each it will be recorded, ' suddenly it came,' like all 
Divine comings, to leave unlooked-for power and blessing behind." — 
Quoted by Mrs. Morrow. 



The Whole Nature Illumined by the Spirit. —The Holy Spirit 
illumines not merely the religious part of our nature, but every power 
of mind and spirit. Phillips Brooks, in his Yale lectures on preaching, 
says that he shall never forget his first experience of a divinity 



H: 4 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



43 



school. "The first place I was taken to at the semi- 
nary was the prayer meeting ; and never shall I lose 
the impression of the devoutness with which those 
men prayed and exhorted one another. On the next 
day I met some of those men at a Greek recitation. 
It would be little to say of some of the devoutest of 
them that they had not learned their lessons." But 
those who are really and fully under the influence of 
the Spirit, find his influence enlarging and improving every part of the 
life. These students failed because they were not filled in every part 
with the Spirit. 

The Spirit is ever around us as the light and air. They will come in 
when we fling open our shutters, and raise our window sashes, and let 
them in. 



Holy Spirit, the Shekinah. — " Considered as a temple of which 
Christ is the corner-stone, and in which believers are living stones, He 
is the Divine Indweller, and holds there His throne and seat, as the 
Shekinah in the Holy of Holies of old. Considered as a body of 
which Christ is the head, and all regenerate souls members, He is the 
all-pervading and controlling Spirit that vitalizes and subsidizes the 
wiiole. The moment such a conception is formed in the mind, all 
the rest follows. He who is enthroned in a temple properly claims 
all homage and obedience ; He who as the Spirit of Life fills and thrills 
the body, not only may but must rule in the whole organism, unless as 
in diseased members the conditions are so abnormal as to interrupt His 
proper activity. And again, as the spirit of life is the organizing 
power in the body, and distributes blood, nerve-force, nutritive energy 
in every part of the body, and, as the central will, wields for life's ends 
every member and organ — so the Spirit of God where He is permitted 
to control absolutely will make every part of the body of Christ both 
healthful and useful. If we yield He will wield." — A. T. Pierson. 



The Magnetized Needle. — "Tell me,' 5 said a father to his son, 
" what difference you can detect between two needles — one of which 
has received an electric shock, whilst the other has not. And yet the 
one has hidden virtues, which occasion will show, of which the other 
has none. The electric shock has rendered the one needle a magnet, 
which, duly balanced, will enable man to find his way across the track- 
less ocean. As this needle, so may that soul be which has received the 
electric shock of the Holy Ghost : on the ocean of a sinful world, it 
shall point wanderers to the haven of everlasting rest. " — Biblical 
Illustrator. 



A. ». 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM 
Speaking 

with 
Tongues. 



44 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



11:5, 6 



5. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation 
under heaven. 

6. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were 
confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 



The Eesult of being filled with the Spirit of God " will always be the 
impulse and the power to speak the good news of God. A dumb Chris- 
tian is a kind of monster," k ' A river frozen over at the mouth." 



6. Noised Abroad, ■yevofj.e'v'n.s 5e t^s cjjwvrjs TavTTjs, this sound having 
taken place ; $<avr\ is never used for rumor, or report. 

Confounded, o-wexvQi), poured together like water in a flood, spoken 
here of their thoughts, mingled in confusion. The English word con- 
found, is derived from a Latin word of the same meaning, pointed 
together. 

Language, S'-aXeK-ro), not only different languages, but different dia- 
lects of the same language. 

Polyglot Lands. — " It is difficult for those who have all their lives 
had the advantage of dwelling in what may be termed a ' homoglot ' 
country, where the same language is spoken over vast areas, and where 
one may travel for days or weeks without the need for an interpreter, 
to comprehend the confusion and perplexity involved in ordinary inter- 
course in regions where racial distinctions, rival nationalities, separate 
governments, and restricted commercial intercourse have preserved, 
and very often created, distinct and mutually unintelligible dialects 
and languages. The difficulty is felt even in civilized Europe, where 
every nation has at least one and often several distinct languages. 
How much more in semi-civilized Asia and barbarous Africa, where 
the most extensive empires are merely a congeries of unamalgamated 
and jealous tribes ! I remember when ten years ago, riding from 
Aleppo to Mesopotamia, we left a village where only Arabic was spoken, 
and, crossing a little stream, reached in an hour another village, where 
no one heard a word of any language but Turkish. That night we 
halted at a Turcoman village where a distinct language was spoken ; 
and the next night we bivouacked at a Kurdish camp, of whose tongue 
not one of the party could understand a word. The following night 
we slept at an Armenian town. Nowhere is the difficulty more evident 
than in Jerusalem at the present day. Not many years ago the normal 
population of the city, apart from visitors and pilgrims, was under 
twenty thousand. Yet in that little circle some six or seven languages 
are employed in ordinary affairs of life." — Canon Tristam, in Sunday 
School Times. 



11:7-12 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



45 



A. D. 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
The Gift of 
Tongues. 



7. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to 
another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? 

8. And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein 
we were born '? 

9. Par'thians, and Medes and E'lamites, and the dwellers in 
Mesopotamia, and in Jude'a and Cappado'cia in Pon'tus, and 
Asia, 

10 Phr'ygia, and Pamp'hylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Lib'ya about Cyre'ne, 
and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 

11. Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful 
works of God. 

12. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What 
meaneth this ? 



12. Amazed, k^ia-ravro. The verb means to throw out of position, 
hence to drive one out of his senses, hence to amaze, astonish. Allied to 
ecstasy. 

Marvelled, 40avp.a£ov, to wonder at, to admire, from the root 0dou,ai, 
to gaze at. 

In DOUBT, £uyirdp<rxjv, from 8id, through, and airope'w to be without a 
way out. The radical idea of the compound verb seems to be of one 
who goes through the whole list of possible ways, and finds no way 
oat. Hence to be in perplexity. — M. JR. Vincent. 



The Bible in Many Tongues. — The Bible now is a gift of tongues. 
It is now printed in more than 330 different languages and dialects — in 
all the principal languages of the world — and many millions of copies 
are circulated every year. Nearly all the people of the world can have 
the Gospel in their own tongues. 



This was a Prophecy of the Gospel for all men, for all races, for all 
kinds and degrees of intellect and culture, all variations of feeling, 
taste, and disposition ; just as the light is adapted to all eyes, as the air 
to all lungs, of men old or young, of large beasts and tiniest insect. 



The Need of the Gift of Tongues. — " It is a completely mistaken 
notion, which no one would cherish who had read history with a full- 
orbed mental eye, realizing the past with its circumstances, that Latin 
and Greek superseded all other languages throughout the empire. 
Local dialects and languages continued to flourish all the time, save 
amongst the official classes. Else how did Welsh survive to this day in 
England ? How did Celtic survive in France side by side with Latin ? 
The two celebrated cases of Gregory of Tours and of St. Patrick show 



4 6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS II: 13, 14 



13. Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 

14. If But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto 
them, Ye men of Jude'a and all ye. that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto 
you, and hearken to my words: 



that their Latin was of a very rude and corrupt kind ; their real spoken 
language was Celtic, the tongue of the mass of the people. In a learned 
work just published I note a confirmation of this view. Professor 
Ramsay, in his Historical Geography of Asia Minor, p. 24, avows how 
his mind has changed on this question in regard to Asia Minor. Those 
who wrote books, wrote in Greek, and those who governed spoke Latin, 
but the mass of the people spoke Lycaonian and Galatian, and 
Phrygian. "—From Prof. G. F. Stokes. 



13. Mocking, 8iaxX.svd£ovTes, from x^^li a joJce, a jest. It was a 
joke all through i8id). 

14. Said, dTre^BevijaTo, to proclaim out, to speak out (d-n-6). It " de- 
notes a clear, loud utterance." 

Heabken, evuTicrao-Ge, from iv, in, and ovs, the ear. 



Good Things Mocked in Vain. — How many of the best things the 
world has ever known were laughed at in their beginnings. 

See the early history of the Methodists, of the Puritans. The legend 
of Remus ridiculing the first walls of Rome. 

"Let us go and see that crazy man try to sail a boat by steam," said 
one to an idle crowd in New York. They hurried off to the Hudson. 
Thousands were there to see that crazy man's novel experiment. That 
boat went. 

" So with a lot of romantic girls and crazy boys you expect to see the 
world converted," said a popular journal, of the Andover and other 
missionaries in the beginning of the American missionary enterprise. 

While the first steamboat was crossing the Atlantic Ocean, a pamphlet 
was being circulated, showing how futile and visionary was such a plan, 
and that it could never be accomplished. Edison's inventions have 
even in recent years been treated in the same manner. 

Nearly all original young authors have been laughed at, and their 
manuscripts rejected. 

Carlyle's early books were the jokes of the critics. 

The early poems of Wordsworth were criticised as being next to 
idiotic. Byron says that this poet wrote so naturally of the Idiot Boy. 
that he must be the hero of his own tale. 

Tennyson's early volume of poems, The Poems of Two Brothers, was 



II: 13, 14 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



47 



a failure. Irving's first book manuscript was refused. 
Jane Eyre was again and again rejected. A publisher 
advised Miss Alcott, after reading one of her first manu- 
scripts, to " stick to teaching." 



A. ». 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter's 
Defense, 



When DTsraeli first attempted to speak in Parlia- 4 1 
ment, he pitched his voice too high, and the Commons 
roared with laughter. " You will not hear me now," he said, 
time will come when you shall hear me." That time came. 



but the 



Progress in Spite of Ridicule. — " Science is one long record of the 
ridicule of new discovery. Dr. John Hunter's discoveries in anatomy 
were the jibes of the medical profession. When one physician laughed 
at him because he did not publish his investigations in Latin, Dr. Hunter 
sharplj r returned, "I would teach him on a dead body what he never 
knew in any language, Latin or Greek " Jenner (who first vaccinated) 
was both ridiculed and abused." — Hezekiah Butterivorth in Our Sunday 
Afternoon. 



"If thou canst plan a noble deed, 
And never flag till it succeed, 
Though in the strife thy heart should bleed, 

" If thou canst bear the averted face, 
The gibe, or treacherous embrace, - 
Of those who run the self-same race, — 

"Whatever obstacles control, 
Thine hour will come, go on, true soul, 
Thou'lt win the prize, thou'lt reach the goal." 



14. Peter's Sermon. — Every one must note the wonderful change in 
Peter within the two months since he had denied his Master. " We are 
struck first with the calmness and concentrated force of this 
address. How difficult the task which St. Peter undertook ! The 
He had to speak on the spur of the moment, and to a Change 
crowd excited as only an Eastern crowd can be. It is not in Peter, 
easy for the most practised orator to catch the ear, and hold 
the attention of a confused and hostile crowd. Shakespeare means us 
to recognize consummate skill in Mark Antony's handling of the Roman 
citizens at Csesar's funeral ; but he used flattering words, and he spoke 
in order to rouse the people against the assassins of Ceesar, not against 
themselves. St. Peter had to address the crowd on a theme which 



4 8 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 11:14, 1 5 



could not be welcome, and to stir them to self-condemnation. Yet we 
see no trace of hesitation or embarrassment. " Donald Frazer, in 
Speeches of the Apostles. 



Pictures. — " St. Peter," portrait from Da Vinci's " Last Supper ;" 
"St. Peter, Martyr," Fra Angelico (Florence); " St. Peter, Preaching," 
Fra Angelico (Florence) ; "The Apostles Preaching," Dore (London). 



Best Part of a Sermon. — Phillips Brooks says that the most 
powerful part of a sermon is the man behind it. In the Iliad Homer 
makes an ugly, ill-tempered, sharp-tongued man deliver a speech 
against King Agamemnon, which in ink is one of the finest things in 
the Iliad. But it had no effect on the army, because of the character 
of the man that made it. " In engineering," says Dr. Gregg, " it is a 
rule that a cannon should be one hundred times heavier than its shot. 
A man's character should be a hundred times heavier than what he 
says." That always draws men. 



Library. — See in Dr. David Gregg's Our Best Moods the sermon on 
" Speech and Life." 



15. The Mockers Answered. — A lady stood helplessly between the 
tracks of the cable road and said to a policeman : ' ' Will you tell me 
where I can take a cable car?" He replied vigorously in word and 
action: "If you do not jump lively, ma'am, you will 
take it in the back." That good lady represents the extreme Taken in 
conservative of all the ages. He has taken everything in the Back, 
the back. It is the old story of the good, sound, well 
accredited Ptolemaic system, that is to be in the most rash and ignor- 
ant way supplanted by the new-fangled Copernican, and when this is 
clone then the foundations of the world perish. Hear the lamentable 
outcry that wails back to us from the ages. See Galileo trying to per- 
suade the professor of theology to look through his telescope and see the 
moons of Jupiter. No, no ; he will not do it. He will take it all in the 
back, and a real cable-car heave he will get. Europe did get it, and for 
many years religion, the Bible, the Church, were declared to be over- 
thrown if the Copernican system were accepted. But the good God 
had heard that noise often before and guided on the Copernican system 
with a strong right hand that never failed. And there was only one 
funeral after all — the funeral of bigotry and ignorance. — Samuel T, 
Carter. 



II: 1 5~1 8 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



49 



15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is 
but the third hour of the day. 

16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 

17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I 
will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh : and your sons and your 
daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see 
visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 

18. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour 
out in those days of my Spirit ; and they shall prophesy : 



A. D. 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter's 
Defense. 
Prophecy 
of Joel. 



Not There — At one of his prayer- meetings during his great trial, 
when all manner of stories about him were in the air, I heard Henry 
Ward Beecher explain his position by a story of his earlier 
life. He, with some great anti-slavery leader (I think it H. W. 
was Wm. Loyd Garrison), was holding an anti-slavery Beecher's 
meeting in New York city, and they were mobbed. They Expe- 
were compelled to go out by some rear entrance, and rience. 
through back streets to a friend's house. The mob followed, 
and locating the house where they thought these men were, threw 
stones, rotten eggs and other missiles. But Mr. Beecher was across 
the way in another house, looking on in peace and perfect safety. He 
said the missiles did not hurt him, because he was not there. The 
wicked stories did not hurt him, because he was not there. 



17. Visions, opdo-cis, visible forms, waking visions, from opdw, to see. 
Dreams, €vvn-via, dreams in the night, from ev, in, and virvos, sleep. 

17. And Your Daughters. See on 1 : 14. 

See Visions and Dream Dreams. — That ordinary dreams have in 
our day, and had in those days no special significance, is undoubted. 
But there are modern instances where they have produced great effects. 

The latest most notable one is that just published in 
How Christ Came to Church, in which some twenty years Dr. 
ago a dream came to Dr. A. J. Gordon, well known in Gordon's 
Boston by multitudes — a dream which changed his whole Dream, 
after life and ministry. See under 1:11. 

" Those who are familiar with the history of Catherine of Siena know 
how repeated and striking were her visions by day and by night ; and 
readers of the life of Richard Baxter will recall his marked experience, 
and that vivid vision of lost opportunities which so quick- 
ened his after activity. Christmas Evans also, that prince Christmas 
of Welsh preachers, white yet only a young convert and on Evans, 
the very night succeeding the loss of one eye from the 
4 



5o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS II : 15— 18 



assault of ruffianly violence, had a remarkable dream. He thought 
that the awful day of judgment had come, and seeing the world 
wrapped in its winding sheet of flame, he cried out, with mingled 
terror and confidence, ' Lord Jesus, save me ! ' Then he beheld the 
Master turn toward him, and heard Him say : ' It was thy intention to 
preach the gospel ; but it is now too late, for the Day of Judgment is 
already come.' That vision of the darkness remained in the day so 
vivid a reality that the reflections which it awakened served to fan 
into a consuming flame of ardor and fervor his passion for souls. And 
he always believed that this and other dreams were God's messengers 
sent to communicate to him some of the mightiest impulses that 
swayed his life." 



Library. — Several remarkable cases are published in tract form by 
Wm. Knowles, New York. 

The Remarkable Trance of Rev. William Tennent, of Freehold, New 
Jersey. 

The Sister's Dream of Heaven, a true story, quoted in part under 1:25. 
The New Wine in My Father's Kingdom, or the dream of Dr. Philip 
Doddridge. 
Dr. Bonar's dream quoted under 22 : 3. 



Kubla Khan, A Dream. — The noted metrical fragment, "Kubla 
Khan," — 

4 ' In Xanadu did Kubla Khan 

A stately pleasure-dome decree, 

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran 

Through caverns measureless to man 
Down to a sunless sea," — 
came to Coleridge during sleep which continued for three hours, in 
which he had the most vivid impression that he composed between two 
and three hundred lines. On waking he had so distinct an impression 
of the whole that he seized his pen and wrote down the fragment 
which is still preserved. But he was interrupted for an hour to attend 
to some business, and when he returned he found, to his intense sur- 
prise and mortification, that though he still retained some vague and 
dim recollection, yet, with the exception of eight or ten scattered lines, 
all the rest had passed away. — From Dr. Taylor's Daniel, p. 30. Cole- 
ridge's Complete Works (Dr. Shedd's ed.), Vol. VII., p. 212. 



Power of Visions. — The visions of men have had a powerful 
influence on the world. The visions of the prophets have opened doors 



II: 1 5—18 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



51 



of glory into the future, to draw men on to a better 
life. Christ showed men the far-reaching results of 
character and conduct and opened heaven and hell 
before men's eyes. The Bible ends with a most glori- 
ous vision of a redeemed world, both to attract men 
toward a holy life, and to show them their ideal toward 
which to move. 



Compare the visions of Bunyan in his Pilgrim's Progress, Dante's 
vision in his Divina Commedia, Milton's vision of Paradise 
Lost, and Regained, Plato's vision of an ideal Republic, Visions of 
Virgil's vision of the future in the Eneid, and so of almost Great 
all great poets and prophets. The whole church should Poets, etc. 
keep before her the vision of a holy home, a perfect 
church, a redeemed world. 



In youth, beside the lonely sea, 
Voices and visions came to me ; 
In every wind I felt the stir 
Of some celestial messenger. 

— T. B. Aldrich, in Sea Longings. 



Compare the opening of the eyes of Elisha's servant at Dothan (2 
Kings 6: 8-17). Hagar's eyes opened to see the well (Gen. 21 : 19). The 
vision of microscope or telescope. The new understanding of nature 
which modern science has given. We see a thousand things 
now, where before we saw little more than outward forms. Near- 
I have a friend, who, when young, was near-sighted. He sighted 
had never seen a distant prospect. When he was about Spectacles, 
twelve years old his father gave him some spectacles, and 
a whole new world was revealed to him, as if a fog that had hidden a 
mountain view had cleared away. Bible study often brings to us such 
revelations. 



" To blind old Milton's ray less orbs 
A light divine is given, 
And deaf Beethoven hears the hymns 
And harmonies of heaven." 



A. ». 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter's 
Defense. 
Prophecy 
of Joel. 



False Visions. — " Visions and dreams have sometimes led to the most 
disastrous results. When Napoleon had a vision of a universal mon- 



52 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS II : 1 5— 18 



archy over which he should preside, he drenched the lands in blood. 
Many visions have been wretchedly delusive. Men have dreamed of find- 
ing fairy pleasure in the dark forest of sin. Many dreams have been 
enervating. Many pass all their days building castles in the air. With 
fine capacities they have driveled away existence ; as their theory of 
life was born of smoke, so the result of their lives has been a cloud." — 
Spurgeon. 



True Visions, — On the other hand, great and blessed good comes 
from seeing visions of the right kind, visions of purity, of usefulness, 
of a perfect life, of great service to God and man. "How much of 
good in this world would have been lost if good men had quenched the 
fi;-st half -fashioned thoughts which have flitted before them. 
Suppose Luther had taken the advice of his teacher when Visions of 
he said to him, "Go thy way, silly monk! and pray God, Luther 
and if it be His will He will reform the abuses of this and 
Church, but what hast thou to do with it " ? And George Fox. 
Fox, that most eminent of dreamers, where had been all the 
testimonies for a spiritual religion, all the holy influences for benevolence, 
for peace, for anti-slavery, which have streamed upon this world 
through the agency of the Society of Friends, if the wild Quaker had 
been content to let his impressions come and go and be forgotten ? 
These things, which nowadays are ordinary Christian doctrines, were 
considered in his day to be but the prattle of fanatics ; even as the 
reforms which some of us shall live to see are denounced as revolution- 
ary, or ridiculed as Utopian." — Spurgeon. 



Visions of Better Times. — " The vision of a pure England, of a tem- 
perate England, of an England without grinding poverty, heart-rending 
distress, and free from crimes, the very mention of which makes one's 
blood run cold, is a noble vision. Need it remain altogether a vision ? 
Was the vision of the abolition of slavery in North America allowed to 
remain a vision ? Was the vision of a system of universal education 
for our own nation allowed to remain a vision ? Think again of the 
visions of the reformer, the scientist, the engineer — how many of 
these visions have been realized ! What is required is that we claim 
for ourselves a fuller measure of God's Holy Spirit — the spirit *of love, 
hope, self-sacrifice, whereby we shall attain the substance of the things 
we hope for, and shall witness, possess, and enjoy the evidence of 
things as yet unseen by the natural man, but awaiting in all their glory 
to be revealed among us." — W. E. Chadivick, M. A. 



II: 19-23 THE ACTS OF THE apostles 53 



19. And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and sigus in 
the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke : 

20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into 
blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come : 

21. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on 
the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

22. Ye men of Irael, hear these words ; Jesus of Naz'areth, a 
man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and 

signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye your- »J« »J« 

selves also know : 

23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, 
ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain : 



Well Founded Visions. — All true visions have a foundation of 
fact. Like Jacob's ladder one end rests on the earth, while the other 
rises to heaven and God. 

So Columbus gave his time and strength to discovering a new world, 
not from idle dreams and baseless visions, not from acci- 
dent, but a well-founded faith, encouraged from many Visions of 
sources. Columbus lived for a time on the island of Columbus. 
Madeira, his wife's home. "The islanders fully believed 
in the existence of lands in the Western Atlantic." 

" West winds had brought to them strange woods curiously carved, 
huge cane-brakes, like those of India described by Ptolemy ; peculiarly 
fashioned canoes, and corpses with a skin of a hue unknown to Europe 
or Africa." — Pres. E. Benj. Andrews. 

He sailed wherever ships sailed. He made maps and charts, he 
studied the theories of scientific men, who believed the world was 
round. He pored over the descriptions of travelers. His faith in a 
new world and that it could be reached was well founded. 



19. Wonders, Tepara, portents, like the wonders shown by Moses 
to Pharaoh in Egypt. It is akin to T-qpe'io, to watch, observe, some- 
thing that calls us to watch or observe. 

20. Notable, lm<{>avii, from lirC, upon, and <|>aCva>, to shine, to be 
bright, or clear ; hence conspicuous, illustrious, shining out upon all 
and above all other days. In the substantive form it is our word 
Epiphany, used by Jeremy Taylor to describe the appearance of the 
persons upon the Mount of Transfiguration "in glorious epiphany:" 
and the church festival " in commemoration of Christ's being mani- 
fested to the world by a star the twelfth day after Christmas;" "to 
commemorate the appearance of the star to the Magi, symbolizing the 



A. ». 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter's 
Defense. 
Presenting 
Jesus 
as the 
Messiah. 



54 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS II 124-30 



24. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it 
was not possible that he should be holden of it. 

25. For David speaketh concerning him, 1 foresaw the Lord always before my 
face; for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 

26. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my 
flesh shall rest in hope : 

27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine 
Holy One tr> see corruption. 

28. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of 
joy with thy countenance. 

29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that 
he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 

30. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to 
him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ 
to sit on his throne ; 



manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles." Used also of the second 
coming of our Lord. 



20. Library. — Byron's Poem, "Darkness." "I had a dream that 
was not all a dream." • 

22. Miracles, 8vvdp.€<ri, powers, mighty works. — These are the mani- 
festations of divine power, deeds which only God can do. 

Wonders, Te'pcuri. — Marvelous deeds exciting wonder, and calling 
attention to God as their doer. 

Signs, (n^jieiois. — These are the signs or evidences of Four 
Jesus' divine mission, and of the truth He taught, and of Names for 
the nature of God. Miracles. 

Works, "Ep^a, is used by John (7:3, 21) to express the 
natural acts and products of the being of Jesus wrought by His own di- 
vine power. Each miracle of Christ has all four of these characteristics. 



Library, compare Savonarola's preaching in Florence both as to its 
bold denunciation of sin and the marvellous effects, in Mrs. Oliphant's 
Makers of Florence. 

24. Pains (wSivas). — The meaning is disputed. Some claim that 
Peter followed the Septuagint mistranslation of Ps. xviii. 5, where the 
Hebrew word for snares is rendered by the word used here, pains ; and 
that, therefore, it should be rendered snares of death ; the figure being 
that of escape from the snare of a huntsman. Others suppose that 
death is represented in travail, the birth-pangs ceasing with the 
delivery; i. e., the resurrection. This seems to be far-fetched, though 
it is true that in classical Greek the word is used commonly of birth- 
throes. — Prof. M. B. Vincent in Word Studies. 



11:31-36 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



55 



31. He, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, 
that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see cor- 
ruption. 

32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are wit- 
nesses. 

33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and 
having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, 
he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 

34. For David is not ascended into the heavens : but he saith 
himself The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 

35. Until I make thy foes thy lootstool. 

36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that 
same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 



A. D. 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter's 
Defense. 
Argument 
from 
Psalms* 



25. Foresaw (irpowpcopiv). — Not to see beforehand, but to see before 
one's self, as in Ps. xvi. 8. — M. R. Vincent. 



26. Shall rest, KaTtunoivcoo-ei, Lit. shall dwell in a tent or taber- 
nacle ; from koto, down from, from a higher to a lower place ; and 
cktjvt], a tent, — shall encamp or place my tabernacle on hope, abiding 
there till hope shall be transformed to realization. Prof. Vincent in 
his admirable Word Studies says: "It is a beautiful metaphor. My 
flesh shall encamp on hope; pitch its tent there to rest through the 
night of death, until the morning of resurrection." 



Patriarch, iraTpidpxov ; from iron-pid, a lineage, a family, a race, 
and dpx«> to begin, hence one who begins a new family, or race. 



36. Assuredly, dcr<j>a\a>s, from d, not, and <r<}>d\\», to cause to fall, 
as in wrestling ; to overthrow as a ship by a storm, or as an army by the 
enemy, to defeat ; to delude, to cause to err, or go wrong. Hence the 
compound word means to know with such certainty that there can be no 
falling, no defeat, no mistake. 

Life in Himself. — " Here it is like the wheat-grain growing up out 
of the ground because there is intrinsic impulse making it grow up ; 
resurrection inheres in its nature ; it is not possible that it should be 
holden ; rising is a part of its genius. The Lord's life was somehow in 
His own hands. His life was such a thing that limitations did not 
limit it ; obstructions were no embarrassment to it ; death was not fatal 
to it. Life under any circumstances, life of any kind is a wonderful 
thing, spiritual life, animal life, yea, even vegetable life. We cannot 
say much about it, only wonder at it. An acorn lying, for months, 
still, brown and insensible, with a slight change of environment, begins 



56 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



II : 31-36 



to become dimly conscious of itself ; and waking up into a mighty 
tree that fills the air, greens and withers, and greens and withers while 
children grow old and generations pass away. It is a long way from 
the buried acorn cracking in the dark to the rending of the tomb of the 
Son of God in the morning twilight of the world's first Easter; and yet 
our thought to-day is upon the same feature in the two instances — the 
life-element, vegetable in one, Divine in the other, but working out 
with an easy expanse, shattering confinement by the native tension of 
its own energy ; with facile sufficiency disrupting its own confinement 
and crushing its own bonds. ' It was not possible that He should be 
holden of it.' " — G. H. Parkhurst. 



Whom Ye Crucified. — The good was hidden in the great, deep 
shadow of the sad. If they had only seen the whole truth it would 
have saved them many a troubled hour. So ' ' the crucifix with the 
dead Christ obscures our faith. Our thoughts rest not upon a dead, 
but a living Christ." — Bp. Westcott. "The empty cross 
is to be preferred as being a symbol, symbolizing the The Cross 
resurrection as well as the death of the Redeemer. He has Points 
borne the cross, and passed from it forever." — Prof. Upward. 
Milligan. " The cross stained with the blood drops of our 
Redeemer is the most sacred symbol of our religion. But it is precious, 
not because it points downward to death and the grave, but because it 
ever points upward to the living Christ," — Prof. Briggs. 



Looking Beyond Death. — As the disciples centered their thoughts 
on the death of their Master, and overlooked His promise of resurrec- 
tion, so we see the evils, the darkness, the sorrows, and sometimes 
forget to see the promises of hope, the spiritual blessings, the rainbows 
on the clouds, the dawn coming through the night. It is of the utmost 
importance that we see the whole truth, and not be absorbed in a por- 
tion of it. 



The Seven Fears Changed to Joys. — In the Light of Asia, the 
king dreamed troublous dreams about his son, Prince Siddartha, and 
seven great and terrible fears came before him in vision. The flag of 
Indra was rent by a rushing wind, ten huge elephants shook the earth 
with their tread, a mighty drum pealed like a thunderstorm ; his son 
sat on a tower scattering gems, as if it rained jacinths and rubies, 
and all the world seized on these treasures. Every one was to the king 
a great fear. But a wise counselor showed him that every one of his 
fears was in reality a great joy. The rent flag was but the beginning of 



11:37 THE A CTS OF THE APOSTLES 57 

* * 

37. Now when they heard this, tliey were pricked in their 
heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men 
and brethern, what shall we do? 



the new. The ten elephants were the ten great gifts 
of wisdom ; the tower was the glowing of the true 
religion, and the gems were the truths his son would 
give to the world ; and the drum was the thunder of 
the preached word. 

The Resurrection was no mere metaphorical expression, such as 
might be used of great leaders of thought, whose influence outlives 
them. For instance : ' ' Socrates had to drink the fatal hemlock ; 
and the body of Socrates had long since mingled with the dust But 
Socrates, it might be said, had risen, in the intellectual triumphs of his 
pupils, and in the enthusiastic admiration of succeeding ages; the method 
and words of Socrates had been preserved for all time in a literature that 
will never die." Christ put to death by crucifixion, triumphed even 
after a death so shameful and degrading, just as Socrates and others had 
triumphed before him. But Christ lived again in this sense, because 
He was literally raised from the dead in bodily form, and is a present 
living being. 



37. They were Pricked (KaTevv^iio-av), from Ka-ra, intensive, and 
vvo-o-o), to prick with a sharp point, to prick deeply, sharply, with a sharp 
point. " So, Homer, of the puncture of a spear ; of horses dinting the 
earth with their hoofs, etc. Here, therefore, of the sharp painful emotion, 
the sting produced by Peter's words. Cicero speaking of the oratory of 
Pericles, says that his speech left stings in the minds of his hearers. 
(De Oratore, III : 34). — M. R. Vincent, in Word Studies. 



Library. — Compare the effect of the Palmer's speech upon Lord 
Marmion, in Scott's Poems, Marmion, Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, 
Jean Valjean, " The laughter of the soul at itself," Shakespeare's Hamlet, 
and Macbeth, and Richard III. The last chapters of Joseph Cook's 
Boston Monday Lectures, " Conscience." 



A D. 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter's 
Defense. 
Its Efl'ect 
011 the 
People. 



Chief of Police Byrnes on Conscience. — " Inspector Byrnes, of 
New York, says : ' The great lieutenant of every police officer is that 
mysterious thing called conscience. You let a man try to deceive 



? 8 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS II : 38, 30 



38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the 
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the 
Holy Ghost. 

39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar 
off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 



himself and lie to himself about himself, and that something comes 
knocking up against the shell of his body, and thumping on his ribs 
with every heart-beat, and pounding on his skull until his head aches 
and he wishes he were dead, and groans in agony for relief. It is the 
same conscience that makes a criminal ' give himself away,' if one only 
knows how to awaken it, or stir it into activity. I never let a man 
know for what he is arrested. He may have committed a dozen more 
crimes of which I know nothing. If I lock him up alone and leave 
him to the black walls and his guilty conscience for three or four 
hours, while he pictures the possible punishment due to him for all his 
crimes, he comes presently into my hands like soft clay in the hands of 
the potter. Then he is likely to tell much more than I ever suspected.' 
'' So the conscience is the great lieutenant of every preacher of the 
gospel, and this is not a lesson for the pulpit alone, for one of the most 
suggestive features of the Pentecost revival is that the Church mem- 
bers were all preachers that day. This picture ought to lead us to have 
courage to expect immediate results from the faithful preaching of the 
gospel. One of the most dangerous errors that ever was propagated by 
the enemy of souls, an error that paralyzes the tongue of the preacher 
and the prayer of the Church, is that Christianity is only a system of 
culture, and that souls are to be ransomed by gradual stages." — 
L. A. Banks. 



38. Repent, fi€TavoT]craT€. "A word compounded of the preposition 

p.eT&, after, loith ; and the verb, voe'w, to perceive, and to think, as 
the result of perceiving or observing. In this compound the preposi- 
tion combines the two meanings of time and change, which may be 
denoted by after and different; so that the whole compound means to 
think differently after. Merdvoia {repentance) is therefore, primarily, 
an after -thought, different from the former thought ; then, a change of 
mind which issues in regret and in change of conduct.''' " Sorrow is 
not, as is popularly conceived, the primary nor the prominent notion 
of the word. Paul distinguishes between sorrow (Xvmf) and repentance 
([WTclvoia), and puts the one as the outcome of the other. ' Godly 
sorrow worketh repentance' (2 Cor. vii. 10)." — Prof. 31. E. Vincent, in 
Word Studies. 



11:40, 41 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 59 



40. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, 
saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 

41. T[ Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; 
and the same day there were added unto them about three 
thousand souls. 



For the Remission, ds a<f>eo-iv, from lis. unto, as 
the end to be reached. ; a<j>eo-iv, from dcjniuxi, to send away, to dis- 
charge. The sins are sent away, the debt is discharged and the sinner is 
discharged as from bondage or from the court and place of punishment. 

The Five Steps of salvation : I. Repentance towards God. II, Faith 
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. III. Forgiveness of sins. IV. Public 
profession. V. An endowment of spiritual power. — J. L. Hurlbut. 



Repentance and forsaking of sin are necessary before God can give 
the blessings of salvation and the fruits of the Spirit ; as the warm 
spring sun must come and thaw the ground and melt the snows before 
the flowers and fruits can bless the earth. It is useless to sow even 
the best of seed on snowbanks and frozen soil. 



Peter's sermon contained the three R's. See under 26 :20. 



Library. — Moore's Paradise and the Peri furnishes a good illustra- 
tion concerning forgiveness, by way of contrast as to the way of 
remission. 

Be Baptized, as the confession of faith in Christ. Rev. Dr. F. E. 
Clark (Father Endeavor), speaking of the necessity of the pledge, told 
me that almost every C. E. society that omitted the pledge proved a 
failure. 



Untoward (o-koXkxs). — Lit., crooked. Toward in earlier English 
meant docile, apt. The opposite is froward (fromward). So Shakes- 
peare : 

" 'Tis a good hearing when children are toward, 
But a harsh hearing when women axe froward.'" 

Taming of the Shrew, v. , 2. 
" Spoken like a toward prince." 

3 Henry VI., ii., 2. 
Untoward, therefore, meant intractable, perverse. So Shakespeare : . 
" What means this scorn, thou most untoward knave?" 

K. John, i., 1. 



A. ». 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Birth of 

tlie 
Church • 



6o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 11:40,41 



"And if she be fro ward. 
Then hast thou taught Hortensio to be untoward." 

Taming of the Shrew, iv., 5. 
— M. R. Vincent, Word Studies. 



40. The Conditions of Salvation are not arbitrary, but necessary 
and essential. So long as heaven means love and goodness and virtue 
and peace," and communion with God, no one can enter heaven who 
does not turn away from his sins, which are the reverse of all these. 
Even if bad men were put in the place where the outward glories cor- 
respond to the heavenly character, they would soon destroy 
its perfections, as a crowd of untamed savages, camped in Savages 
a palace, with its pictures and libraries and works of art, in a 
would not only remain savages, but would soon ruin the Palace, 
palace. Faith in Christ, leading to repentance, is a means 
of obedience, a going to school to the best teacher, an imitating the 
perfect example, a following the all- wise leader, and this is the way to 
salvation and heaven. 



41. Gladly Received the Word. — "The Spirit of God is with the 
Church. Every day may be to her a day of Pentecost. The living- 
Christ is here amid the golden candlesticks. There is as much of God 
in the place where these words are being read as in heaven 
itself. It is not needful to go back into the past or forward Receiving 
into the future to find Him — He is here. All around us is of God's 
the blessed atmosphere of the eternal and spiritual. It is a Abundance, 
mistake to sigh for anything more than this. Whatever 
is needed for the nurture of a noble, useful, and blessed life is as near 
us as the ocean to the scale of the fish, or the sunbeams to the gorgeous 
plumage of the humming-bird. 

"But something more is necessary. The environment of peach or 
animal or child may be all that could be desired for its nurture and 
beauty, but the organism itself must have the faculty of extracting and 
absorbing the quality it needs. Of what use are sunbeams and dew- 
drops if the peach-blossoms cannot transmute them into fruit? 

" There is as much electricity among the degraded Hottentots as in 
London, but it is of no avail to them, since they know not how to 
beckon it from the clouds and yoke it to their chariots. Probably there 
are forces throbbing around us of which Christ availed Himself in the 
working of His miracles, but of which we know nothing. 

" It is instructive to notice how each living thing takes from the sun- 
beam what it wants — one its aroma, another its color, a third its 
luscious taste. So should we extract from Christ whatever we require 



II : 40, 4 1 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



61 



to complete our character. The short-tempered must 
take patience ; the passionate, purity ; the cowardly, 
moral strength ; the domineering, patience ; the down- 
cast, comfort. We must not simply pray for them, 
but take them." — F. B. Meyer. 



A. D. 30. 

May 28. 
JERUSALEM. 
Birth of 

tlie 
Church, 



Added About Three Thousand Souls. — " One of 
the great sermons of William Dawson, the celebrated Yorkshire 
preacher, was the 'Balance Sermon,' in which he used to put human 
souls into one scale and the law of God into the other, and 
with terrible power over men's consciences show T how it The 
weighed down the hypocrite, the miser, the swearer, and Balance 
others. Once a man who used a short yard-measure was Sermon, 
so conscience-stricken that, interrupting the preacher, he 
publicly snapped his fraudulent measure in two and humbly said, ' Now 
you may go on, sir.' " — Dr. Dickson. 



Revivals in New York and Burmah. — I remember one week (1859) 
when New York was like a second Jerusalem at Pentecost. Merchants 
ran from counting-houses and the bankers from Wall street and South 
street, hungry and thirsty for an hour of noon-day prayer. The atmos- 
phere seemed laden with the perfumes of the Spirit as the orchards of 
New England with sweet apple-blossoms. — Dr. Cuyler. 

The Gospel has been among the Karens (in Burmah) like a torch of 
fire in a dry sheaf. There is no part of the Karen world to which the 
Bible has been sent where thousands and tens of thousands have not 
turned to God. — Mrs. Wylie. 



Progress of the Gospel. — Chaplain McCabe, about 1890, sent the 
following message to Colonel Ingersoll : 

"Dear Colonel. — Ten years ago you made the following prediction : 
'Ten years from this time two theatres will be built for one church.' 
The time is up. The Methodists are now building four churches every 
day, — one every six hours. Please venture upon another prediction 
for the year." 

Bp. Warren says that the Methodist church alone adds 3,500 members 
on an average every Sunday. 



Secular History Tells Us, as well as the sacred narrative, that 
Christianity rose again from what seemed its grave at the very spot 
where, and at the very moment when, the crucifixion had apparently 
extinguished it forever. 



62 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



11:42 



42. And they contiuued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine aud fellowship, and 
in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 



Moving on High Tides. — Once upon the sea-shore, watching the 
"getting off" of a fishing smack, I saw in it a union of work and 
dependence that charmed me. The fishermen brought the craft down 
the beach as far as they could and then left her awhile until the tide, 
which was flowing, neared her. Meantime two anchors had been cast 
out to sea, from which were ropes to a windlass in the centre of the 
vessel. Soon the surf (for the sea was fresh) began to run round her as 
she lay a dead weight upon the shore. Then the waves began to curl 
over and break upon her side. The men at the windlass took a turn 
and made the rope fast. And now every moment the tide 
had more power over her. She was never still. Twenty The Vessel 
times did I say "now she is off ; " and twenty times did she and the 
settle down again upon the shore, and twenty times did Tide, 
the men at the windlass put on the strain. At last one 
wave swept higher than any before ; she shook — rose — glided down 
towards the deep — the men turning the handle of the windlass quickly 
as possible. A wave she met threatened to sweep her back upon the 
shore, but the anchors held her, and right through the surf the men 
wound her, and half an hour after she was flying away before the 
breeze, a very contrast to the dead weight she looked upon the beach. 
That vessel is the Church. The Holy Ghost is the tide. The ropes and 
the windlass are human agencies only to be used in dependence on the 
tide. The tide is coming in. The Church feels its power. She 
moves — she rises. Oh God send the billow that shall float her now, 
and send her careering on her course, with the breeze of the Spirit. — 
A. G. Brown, in Bib. Illustrator. 



42. Continued Steadfastly. — See on 1 : 14. 
Doctrine, SiSaxti teaching. 

Fellowship, Koivwvia, from Koivos, common, which is the Latin 

communis, from con, together, and mania, service, function, duty 
together, or from com, together, and the root mu — to bind, bound 
together, hence belonging to all. 



The Did ache, The Lately Discovered Teaching of the Twelve 
Apostles. — ' ' Early Christian writers, from the year a. d. 200, speak of 
a work called the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles in the highest terms. 
It was evidently, as known by them, a manual used in the catechetical 
instruction of the young. This manual was known to all the early 



11:42 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



63 



ages, but disappeared from the view of the Western »J« 

Church during the middle ages. Nearly twenty years 
ago it was discovered in Constantinople by the learned 
Greek Bishop Bryennios, and published by him about 
ten years ago. It is assigned by some critics to the 
concluding years of the first century. A convenient 
and cheap edition of it will be found in the second 
volume of the Apostolic Fathers in Griffith and Farran's " Ancient and 
Modern Library." It is called the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, or 
else the Didache, using a Greek title, which has the advantage of being 
shorter." — Prof. Stokes. 

Of the Didache there are several editions at low price, one by P. 
Schaff, with text, translation, fac simile and notes (Clark, Edinboro. 



A Disciple is a Scholar, a Learner. — A disciple of Jesus is one 
who takes Him for teacher and master ; one who goes to school to Him. 
To visit a school does not make one a member of it. To sit upon the 
benches with the scholars, to pass the time in the school-room, does not 
make one a scholar there ; but to accept of the teacher, to submit to his 
discipline, to obey his rules, to pursue the required studies, and to con- 
tinue in these things, makes one a scholar of that school. 



The School op Christ. — (1) Jesus himself is the teacher and 
master, who directs our studies and guides the discipline. He is a wise, 
learned, loving, faithful, helpful, all-knowing, constant teacher. (2) The 
lessons to be learned are to know Christ's will, and to become like Him 
in character (Eph. 4:13; Col. 4 : 12 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 16, 17) .) (3) Our whole 
life is the term time. (4) The school books are the Bible and the dis- 
cipline of life. He sends not only some command or promise or 
example from His Word, but also some special discipline, to teach each 
virtue. There is something in our lives to help us to cherish every good 
q uality and to cultivate every virtue. When we have special trials of our 
patience, or our temper, or our honesty, then we are to remember that 
we are in Christ's school, and that He is teaching us a lesson. In times 
of prosperity, and peace, and joy, we are learning other lessons in the 
same school. (5) We should remember that there are many delightful 
things in God's school. There are lessons in joy as well as in sorrow. 
Most of the verses in this chapter touch the happier side of our dis- 
cipline. The sorrows are but the straining of the strings of the harp 
on which we are to play heavenly music. To have only sorrow would 
make us like the lamps in the tomb of Terrentia, which burned brightly 
only when they were in the tomb, and went out in darkness when 



A. IK 30. 

June. 
JERUSALEM. 
The Ideal 
Church. 



6 4 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



II: 4 3 



43. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by 
the apostles. 



brought into the upper air. We would " irradiate only a tomb," not 
shine in heaven. (6) To become a member of Christ's school, to abide 
there and learn of Him, is to be a Christian. 



" Christ never asks of us such busy labor 
As leaves no time for resting at His feet ; 
The waiting attitude of expectation 
He ofttimes counts a service most complete." 



The Persian Princes, according to Xenophon, had for their teachers 
the wisest man, the bravest man, the most temperate man, and the 
most just man in the kingdom. We have all four in the most perfect 
degree in our one teacher, Jesus Christ. 



" The riches of our Commonwealth 
Are free, strong minds, and hearts of nealth ; 
And more to her than gold or grain, 
The cunning hand and cultured brain. 

44 Nor heeds the sceptic's puny hands, 
While near her school the church spire stands ; 
Nor fears the blinded bigot's rule, 
While near her church spire stands the school." 

— G. Wliittier, in " Our State." 



43. Fear Came on Every Soul. — " On one occasion, as Dr. Chalmers 
was riding on a coach in the Highlands, at a very dangerous part of 
the road where it overhung a precipice, the horses took fright and were 
near precipitating the coach and all its occupants into the ravine 
beneath. The driver vigorously applied the whip, and the 
horses stung with pain and dreading further inflictions, The Noble 
forgot their fear. He observed that one fear expelled Fear that 
another, and coined the expression, "The expulsive power Drives Out 
of a new affection." Fear expels fear. Sunlight extin- Base Fear, 
guishes firelight. The love of a noble woman often redeems 
a man from the sway of baser passions. And the love of Christ, 
wrought in us by the spirit of love, will make us free from the love of 
self. — F. B. Meyer. 



11:44, 45 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



65 



44. And all that believed were together, and had all things 
common ; 

45. And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them 
to all men, as every man had need. 



A. D. 30. 

June. 
JERUSALEM. 
All tilings 
common. 



Library. — A Study of Fears, by President G. 
Stanley Hall. — The first need of a soul and of a 
nation is a deep sense of sin and guilt, and of danger flowing from them, 
with also a way and a hope of a better life. 

Fear, not terror, or acute fright, is essential to every soul, and is 
universal. It may be in its subtle forms, as fear of God. fear of 
failure, of dishonor, but every one does fear, and should fear. " We 
fear God better because we have feared thunder." " Aris- 
totle's conception of education as learning to fear in due A Study of 
proportion those things worthy of being feared, would Fears, 
not serve badly as a definition also of courage." Fear is 
the rudimentary organ on the full development and subsequent reduc- 
tion of which many of the best things in the soul are dependent. " A 
childhood too happy and careless and fearless is a calamity so great that 
prayer against it might stand in the old English service book beside the 
petition that our children be not poltroons." " Bad, and even dangerous 
as its grosser forms are, there is no possible way of developing the 
higher without them," pp. 242-244. 



Eeference. — See under 5 : 11 " A great fear came." 



44. Had all Things Common. 
"Love took up the harp of Life, and played on all its chords with 
might — 

Touched the chord of Self, which passed in music out of sight." 

Tennyson. 



"He gives twice who gives quickly," is an excellent proverb, and 
this rider to it might well be added: " He who does not give quickly 
seldom gives at all." 



Benevolence. — The question was once asked why the Dead Sea 
received the name it bears. One answered appropriately, " Because it is 
always receiving and never letting out." Water, to be pure, must be 
kept flowing. No man can be a Christian and keep it all to himself. — 
Bibb. 

5 



66 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



11:46 



46. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking 
bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of 
heart, 



Library. — Dnimmond's " Greatest Thing in the World." President 
Mark Hopkins' Law of Love and Love as Law. 

In the book "A Colony of Mercy," a saint of olden time was taunted 
with the poverty of his community. In reply he pointed to the sick 
and the suffering and said, " These are my treasures." 

Hood's Poems, "Charity," "Doing Good," in Foster's Cyclopedia of 
Poetry, 905. Dorchester's Problem of Christian Progress. 



Abou Ben Adhem. — 

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase) 

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, 

And saw within the moonlight in his room, 

Making it rich and like a lily in bloom, 

An angel writing in a book of gold. 

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, 

And to the presence in the room he said, 

" What writest thou ? " The vision raised its head 

And with a look made of all sweet accord, 

Answered, " The names of those who love the Lord." 

" And is mine one ? " said Abou. " Nay, not so," 

Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, 

But cheerily still, and said, " I pray thee, then, 

" Write me as one that loves his fellow men." 

The angel wrote and vanished. The next night 

It came again with a great wakening light, 

And showed the names whom love of God had blessed, 

And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest ! 

— Leigh Hunt. 



Library. — Longfellow's Tales of a Wayside Inn, "The Legend 
Beautiful " 
Reference, see on 4:32. 



46. Singleness, &<|>6\6tt]ti, from " a," not, and <f>€\X€vs stony or rocky 
ground, hence plain, smooth, straightforward, opposite to deceit, 
hypocrisy, or crooked ways. 



11:46 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



6 7 



Continuing Daily. — Abiding in the Word of Christ 
is not only the test of discipleship, bat is the means of 
progress and growth as disciples. One 
Queen Bee cannot starve his soul, and yet grow into 
from Com- "a perfect man in Christ Jesus." As the 
mon Bee. common bee develops into a queen bee, 
by richer food and larger room, so the 
Christian grows and his soul expands by abiding in 
the word of Christ, feeding on it, and practicing it in his daily life. 



A. B. 30. 

June. 
JERUSALEM. 
Picture of 
the Ideal 
Church. 



Joy Following Repentance. — As certain fabrics need to be damped 
before they will take the glowing colors with which -they are to be 
adorned, so our spirits need the bedewing of repentance before they 
can receive the radiant coloring of delight. The glad news of the 
gospel can only be printed on wet paper. Have you ever seen clearer 
shining than that which follows a shower ? Then the sun transforms 
the raindrops into gems, the flowers look up with fresher smiles and 
faces glittering from their refreshing bath, and the birds from among 
the dripping branches sing with notes more rapturous, because they 
have paused awhile. So, when the soul has been saturated with the 
rain of penitence, the clear shining of forgiving love makes the flowers 
of gladness blossom all round. The steps by which we ascend to the 
palace of delight are usually moist with tears. Grief for sin is the 
porch of the House Beautiful, where the guests are full of " the joy of 
the Lord." — G. E. Spurgeon. 



Eating Their Meat with Gladness. — Dr. Hamlin says that one of 
the greatest difficulties in christianizing the East is that 
families do not eat together. It is hard for us to realize Eating 
how much benefit it is to our families to be gathered Together, 
together two or three times a day around the table. 
Nothing but the necessity of eating could accomplish this. Eating 
together promotes friendship, sociability, generosity, and the intellectual 
life. 



New Oil in Old Lamps. — Dr. Robinson says that "in the British 
Museum there is an ancient lamp, once picked up at Pompeii, which 
was refitted and refilled, and kept lighted in order to show its original 
design. Thus what was only a vile fragment of bronze, lying unno- 
ticed amid the ashes and sand of a buried city, is rendered useful again 
by the mere commonplace service of new oil." Thus Jesus sanctifies 
the common objects of daily food, bread and fruit, by pouring into them 
new meaning, and making them symbols of the highest spiritual life. 



68 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



11:46 



Large Meaning in Common Things. — Mr. Ruskin says that in nature 
the most common shapes and forms are the most beautiful, and that 
you can almost tell what lines or curves are the most beautiful by find- 
ing out those which God has created in the greatest abundance. So 
Christ has taken for the ordinances of His kingdom some of the simplest 
and commonest things, — water, bread, and grape-juice. Every one can 
understand them, and yet they are as full of meaning and instruction 
as they are simple and abundant. 



With One Accord. — When the tide is low, the shores of the bay 
show all manner of divisions, rocks covered with seaweed, 
the bottom full of mud and ooze, and abounding in every High 
kind of refuse. But when the high tide comes in, the deep Tides 
water flows pure and smooth over all, obliterating divisions Covering 
and removing all that is vile. So when religion in the Divisions, 
church is low, division lines grow more abundant and more 
sharply defined, and the evil of human nature comes to the surface 
But when the religious experience is deep and full, all the church is 
one, division lines are removed, and evils are sunk far out of sight. 



With Gladness. — One of Trench's poems is founded on an old 
legend of a monk, who, in the rou tine of his duties, began 
to fear that the joys of heaven would at last be monoto- Monk and 
nous, and cloy the soul. One day he went out into the the Bird, 
woods, and while wandering, — 
' ' Lo, he heard 
The sudden singing of a bird ! 
It seemed a thousand harpstrings ringing ; 
And long, long, 

With rapturous look 
He listened to the song, 
And scarcely breathed or stirred." 
He returned to the convent, and learned that he had been gone a 
thousand years. 

" Such had been the power 
Of that celestial song, 
A thousand years had passed, 

And had not seemed so long, 
As a single hour." 
Henceforth he had only one dread, 

' ' Lest an eternity should not suffice 

To take the measure and the breadth and height 
Of what there is reserved in Paradise 
Of ever new delight." 



11:46 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



Joy and Work. — The best lives spring from the 
joy of salvation. The best health of body is found in 
sunny rooms. More patients get well on the sunny 
side of the hospital than on the shady side. The fruit 
is sweetest and best which ripens in the sun. A noted 
cloth manufacturer said that he could not make his 
best carmine color on a cloudy day. He must have 
the chemical influence of the sunlight. 



" Our lives are songs ; God writes the words, 

And we set them to music at pleasure ; 
And the song grows glad or sweet or sad, 

As we choose to fashion the measure. 
We must write the music, whatever the song, 

Whatever its rhyme or meter ; 
And if it is sad we can make it glad, 

Or if sweet we can make it sweeter." 



Reference. — See on 8:8, "And there was great joy;" 13:52, "Joy 
in the Holy Ghost," and 16:25, " Paul and Silas Singing in Prison." 
Library. — Trench's Poems, " Rejoice Evermore." 



The Happy Life. — There is an interesting bit of local history in con- 
nection with the suggestive articles from the pen of President Eliot on 
The Happy Life that have been appearing of late in the New York 
Independent. The scholarly and accomplished president of Harvard is 
certainly exceptionally competent to treat such a theme, and the fact 
that he has expatiated upon it in public addresses from time to time 
would indicate that it is a subject congenial to his own mind. On one 
occasion a working men's club in Cambridge was fortunate enough to 
secure him for an address, in which he proceeded to set before his horny- 
handed auditors the sources of enjoyment that lie along their daily 
pathway. In an easy, attractive, off-hand way he pointed out the 
delight which a well man ought to experience in being able to take 
three meals a day, in the use of his eyes and ears as he walks abroad in 
God's beautiful world, in the number of inexpensive books and maga- 
zines which modern presses make available to him and in the help that 
a man may render his fellows day by day. 

The custom of this club after an address is to permit free questioning 
of the speaker and discussion of his address, and, in this case, after 
several deserved compliments had been passed, a plain man, in working 



* * 

A. D. 30. 

June. 
JERUSALEM. 
Picture of 
tlie Ideal 
Church, 

* * 



70 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



11:46 



garb rose and said that while he believed all that the president had said, 
he could not help wondering if there was not another source 
of happiness which the speaker had failed to mention. He President 
himself had that very day fallen in with a Roman Catholic Eliot on 
priest, who, for support in his daily work for others, seemed Happiness, 
to be relying on an unseen Power that not only strength- 
ened him but made him happy, "So I began to wonder,"' said this 
working man, " whether there is not in all of us a kind of spiritual 
longin' that w T ants something besides food and books and the good will 
of others." Then this plain man of the people sat down, and the 
learned president, feeling that the audience expected some sort of a 
response, undertook to meet the issue that had been raised, but there 
was a strange absence of positiveness and hope in the hereafter in his 
rejoinder. The incident brought to one listener, at least, a fresh sense 
of the insufficiency of a purely earth-born theory of human life to com- 
plete the entire circle of human needs and to satisfy what the working 
man called the ''spiritual longin'," which throbs alike beneath broad- 
cloth and fustian. — Editor of Congregationalist. 



Turn Your Face to the Light. — " It had been one of those days 
on which everything goes contrary, and I had come home tired and 
discouraged. As I sank into a chair, I groaned, "Everything looks 
dark, dark ! " " Why don't you turn your face to the light, auntie 
dear?" said my little niece, who was standing unperceived beside me. 

" Turn your face to the light ! " The words set me thinking. That 
was just what I had not been doing. I had persistently kept my face 
in the opposite direction, refusing to see the faintest glimmer of bright- 
ness, Artless little comforter ! She did not know what healing she 
had brought. Years have gone by since then, but the simple words 
have never been forgotten. 

Why is it that we so steadily turn from the light ! Do you ever watch 
the plants growing in your window ? How joyfully they lift their heads 
to the bright sun that pours his warm beams upon them ! Now try to 
bend them in an opposite direction. You may succeed for a while, but 
look at them in a day or two, and you will find that every little leaf 
and blossom has been patiently working and working until again the 
cheering rays of the sun shine upon their happy faces. Shall not the 
flowers teach us a lesson ?" — Anon. 

President Edwards ' Experience. — Jonathan Edwards who shook 
all New England in early colonial times, had this experience : 

" Once as I rode out to the woods' for my health in 1737, having 
alighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly has 



11:47 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 71 

. * * 

47. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. 
And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be 
saved. 



been to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I 
had a view that was for me extraordinary, of the glory 
of the Son of God, as Mediator between God and man, 
and His wonderful, great, pure, and sweet grace and love, and meek and 
gentle condescension. The grace that appeared so calm and sweet, ap- 
peared also great above the heavens. The person of Christ appeared 
ineffably excellent, with an excellency great enough to swallow up all 
thought and conception — which continued about an hour; which kept 
me a greater part of the time in a flood of tears and weeping aloud." — 
Jonathan Edwards. 

Library. — Earle's Bringing in the Sheaves, has two incidents of the 
power of Christian joy. 



Symphony of Life. — What a splendid symphony is life, to one who 
knows how to interpret it, with its four movements and its one theme ! 
For that one theme is love and God ; and love and God are one. First 
the dance-music of childhood ; then the love-music of youth ; then the 
labor and martial music of manhood, mingled with the sweet home- 
music of womanhood, with strains of pathetic minor enriching both ; 
and last of all the peace-song of old age, leading on to the yet unheard 
song of " blessing and honor and glory and power unto Him that sitteth 
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever." — Christian Union. 



Praise and Music. —I know the jests of Paine and Voltaire and 
skeptics of their kind ridiculing the harp-business of heaven, and repre- 
senting the singing there as narrow work and monotonous. All these 
jests come from narrow, unspiritual lives. The realm of music is not a 
contracted world. There is no one mind equal to the demands of music 
or to the possibilities of music. Praise demands the best of two realms, 
music and poetry. In these two realms have been reared and developed 
the finest genius and mental power of all time. — David Gregg, D. D., 
in The Heaven Life. 



Such as Should be Saved (tovs o-w^ojjievovs). Lit., as Rev., those that 
were being saved. Salvation is a thing of the present, as well as of the 
past and future. The verb is used in all these senses in the New Testa- 
ment. Thus, we were saved (not are, as A. V.), Rom. viii. 24 ; shall or 



A. D. 30. 

June. 
JERUSALEM. 
Picture of 
the Ideal 
Cliurcli. 



?2 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



II: 4 7 



shalt be saved, Rom. x. 9, 13; are being saved, 1 Cor. 1:18. "Godli- 
ness, righteousness, is life, is salvation. And it is hardly necessary to say 
that the divorce of morality and religion must be fostered and encour- 
aged by failing to note this, and so laying- the whole stress either on the 
past or on the future — on the first call, or on the final change. It is, 
therefore, important that the idea of salvation as a rescue from sin, 
through the knowledge of God in Christ, and therefore a progressive con- 
dition, a present state, should not be obscured, and we can but regret such 
a translation as Acts ii. 47, ' The Lord added to the church daily such as 
should be saved, where the Greek implies a different idea" (Lightfoot, 
" On a Fresh Revision of the New Testament "). — M. R. Vincent's Word 
Studies. 



Grumble Corner and Thanksgiving Street. — At a camp-meeting 
in South Framingham, a man arose and said that he formerly lived in 
Grumble Corner, but had lately moved up to Thanksgiving street, where 
the air was fresher, the sunshine brighter, the neighbors pleasanter. 



Infidelity Has No Songs. — -" Infidelity has no songs, for it has 
nothing to sing about. No hymns of joy rise from the hearts of those who 
walk in the murky shadows of sin and unbelief. One day, after having 
alluded to this fact in a public assembly, a skeptic came and promised to 
produce "an infidel hymn-book" in the afternoon. He brought it — a 
book compiled by an apostate minister, having nothing infidel in its title, 
and very little in its composition. It was made up of such " infidel " ( ? ) 
hymns as "Hail Columbia," "The Old Oaken Bucket," and various 
other secular songs, with now and then a parody upon some well-known 
hymn — a word left out here and another added there, giving the com- 
piler about as much right to claim the authorship of the hymns as bor- 
rowing a pair of boots and cutting the straps off would give him to be 
considered a shoemaker. And this was the boasted "infidel hymn- 
book " which was to confute the assertions we had made. We exhibited 
the book, and reiterated our statements. Infidelity is songless because 
it is joyless, lifeless, hopeless." — H. L. Hastings, in The Christian. 



And the Lord Added. — In the Vatican at Rome is a large picture 
of the triumph of Constantine and under it is written a variation of 
Caesar's famous report, " Veni, vidi, vici," "Venimus, vidimus, Deus 
victf," "We came, we saw, God conquered." 

Such as Were Being Saved. — God, in this picture of the Christian 
Church, has given us an object lesson, showing what the Church 



II: 4 7 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



73 



should be in all ages, and what beautiful lives all 
Christians should live. So has He given us "Bright 
Eyes," the refined and intelligent Indian maiden, to 
show what the Gospel can do for all the wild Indian 
tribes, of whom so many think that "the only good 
Indian is the dead Indian." He has given us such 
Chinese families as that of Chan Lai Sun, the Chinese 
Commissioner of Education, brought here at first by 
a missionary, and from the lower class of Chinese, — his daughters cul- 
tured and intelligent ladies, his sons standing in the front rank of their 
classes at Yale, — teaching us what the Gospel can do for all the 
Chinese ; and the famous Jubilee singers, as trained and cultivated in 
manners and minds as in voices, and welcomed in the homes of kings 
and princes, to show the possibilities, under the Gospel training, of the 
whole colored race. 



Goethe's Tale of Tales. — Goethe's wonderful Tale of Tales (espe- 
cially as interpreted by Carlyle in his Essays) represents a fisherman's 
hut, rough and dark, as changed into solid silver by the 
shining of the lamp within, and soon even the form was Transfor- 
changed into a beautiful temple of exquisite workmanship. mation. 
So a holy soul within a body rough and uncouth as the 
fisherman's hut, will at last dwell in an exquisite temple of the Holy 
Spirit. 



Library. — A poem by Jeremy Taylor asks what gold we can bring, 
and compares our sinful hearts to clay, on which God is asked to stamp 
his image, as a coin receives its impression in the mint. 

" Stamp it, and on this sordid metal make 
Thy holy image and it shall outshine 
The beauty of this golden mine." 



Good from Waste Material. — Frequently waste material, thrown 
away as useless, has become of more value than the original product. 
It is so with the waste products from making kerosene oil. A friend 
made a fortune by the use of waste in making baseballs. The story of 
the enormous wealth accumulated by Mr. Cunliff Lister, a British peer, 
is one of the romances of business, says Rev. H. L. Hastings. Going- 
one day into a London warehouse, he came upon a pile of rubbish. 
He inquired what it was, and was told that it was waste silk. "What 
do you do with it?" he asked. " Sell it for rubbish," he was told. Mr. 
Lister bought it as rubbish at half a penny a pound, and turned it into 
gold. That is to say, he discovered how to use silk waste for the 



A. » 30. 

June. 
JERUSALEM. 
Picture of 
tl»e Ideal 
Cliurcl*. 



74 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS II : 47 

manufacture of plush and other such stuffs, and this discovery was the 
foundation of his financial success. 



The early miners in California Gulch were harassed by a heavy black 
sand. When wiser men came and developed Leadville from that black 
sand, the first ones said of themselves, "O fools, not to know value 
when we see it." 

" The soul of music slumbers in the shell, 
Till waked and kindled by the Master's spell ; 
And feeling hearts, touch them but rightly, pour 
A thousand melodies unheard before." 



Rags into Paper. — The queen visited a paper mill. At the door of 
one room was a great multitude of poor, dirty men and women and 
children, bringing old bags on their backs, filled with bits of 
rags, and paper, and the like, all exceedingly filthy. These were rag- 
pickers, who had picked these old things out of the streets and gutters 
of the great city. 

" What do you do with all these vile things? " said the queen. 

" Wli3 r , madam, I make paper out of them." 

" But these rags ! Why, sir, they are of all colors, and how do you 
make them wdiite?" 

"Oh, I have the power of taking out all the dirt and the old colors. 
You see that scarlet and that crimson, yet I can make even scarlet and 
crimson, the hardest colors to remove, become white as snow." 

" Wonderful, wonderful ! " said the queen. 

A few days after, the queen found lying upon her writing-desk a pile 
of the most beautiful polished paper she had ever seen. On each sheet 
were the letters of her own name, and her own likeness. How she did 
admire it ! She found also a note within, which she read. It ran thus : 

"Will my queen be pleased to accept a specimen of my paper, with 
the assurance that every sheet was manufactured out of the contents 
of those dirty bags which she saw on the backs of the poor rag- 
pickers ? " — Rev. Dr. John Todd. 



Reference. — See transformations, under 1:13, changes in the 
Apostles, and under 10 :15, mud changed into jewels. 



A Picture of the Church. —The Palace Beautiful, of Bunyan's 
Pilgrim's Progress, is the most perfect picture of the church and its 
ordinances in all literature. The lions in the way before coming ; the 



II: 4 7 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



75 



porter, Watchful, welcoming the pilgrims at the door ; 

the examination by the gentle maidens, Piety, Pru- 
dence, and Charity, with their discourse 
Palace at the supper ; the sleeping in the Chamber 
Beautiful, of Peace ; the study of the records of the 
place ; the vision of the Delectable Moun- 
tains ; and the putting on the armor for future ^ >i> 

warfare, — make altogether a fitting picture of the 

"house built by the Lord of the hill for the relief and security of 

pilgrims." 



Three Kinds of Churches. — Years ago a writer in the Atlantic 
Monthly describing Henry Ward Beecher's work, divided it into three 
classes : (1) The Church Termagant, forever scolding and faultfinding' 
like the deacon who gave as his one qualification for office, that he 
could object. Let it die. (2) The Church Militant ; we must fight 
against evil till evil is destroyed. (3) The Church Beneficent, or Con- 
structant, building up the kingdom. 



Carlyle on Eeformation. — Carlyle, speaking of the Reformation, 
says : " Are there in this nation enough of heroic men, enough to ven- 
ture forward and to battle for God's truth versus the Devil's falsehood. 
Once risen into this divine white heat of temper, were it only for a 
season and not again, it is henceforth considerable through all its 
remaining history. Nations are benefited for ages by being thrown 
once into divine white heat in this manner. And no nation that has 
not had such divine paroxysms at any time is apt to come to much." 
So revival experiences help us all the rest of our lives. Revival heights 
bless us evermore ; and when they have passed away, and we have 
come down into the valleys, the blessings have not left us. 



The Ideal and the Real. 
The thing we long for, that we are 

For one transcendent moment, 
Before the Present poor and bare 

Can make its sneering comment. 

Still, through our paltry stir and strife, 
Glows down the wished Ideal, 

And Longing moulds in clay what Life 
Carves in the marble Real. — Lowell. 



A. D. 30. 

June. 
JERUSALEM. 
Picture of 
t lie Ideal 
Cliurcli. 



7 6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



II: 4 7 



Vision of the Ideal Church. — " No poet s dream has ever yet 
embodied the climax and consummation of human capabilities ; but 
each new dream is a prophecy of the future, and is freshly watering 
the seeds of realization. It has been truly said, ' The poetic idealism 
of to-day will be the prose reality of to-morrow.' " — Maxwell. 



The Ideal Becomes the Real. 

"God never permitted us to form a theory too beautiful for His 
power to make practical." 

Men take the pure ideals of their souls, 

And lock them fast away, 
Nor ever dream that things so beautiful 

Are fit for every day ; 
So, counterfeits pass current in their lives, 

And stones they give for bread ; 
And starvingly and fearingly they walk 

Through life, among the dead ; 
Though never yet was pure ideal 
Too fair for them to make the real. 

The thoughts of beauty dawning on the soul 

Are glorious Heaven-gleams, 
And God's eternal truth lies folded deep 

In all man's lofty dreams ! 
'Twas first in Thought's clear world that Kepler saw 

What ties the planets bind, 
And through long years he searched the spheres 

The answering law to find : 
Men said he sought a wild ideal • 
The stars made answer, " It is real !" 

Paul, Luther, Howard, all the crowned ones, 

Who star-like gleam thro' time 
Lived out before the clear-eyed sun, 

Their inmost thought sublime. 
Those truths more beautiful than day, 

They knew would quicken men, 
And deeds at which the gazers sneered, 

They dared to practice then ; 
Till those who mocked their young ideal, 
In meekness owned it was the real. 



II: 4 7 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



77 



Thine early dreams, which came in " shapes 
of light," 

Came, bearing prophecy — 
Commissioned sweetly to unfold 

Thy jDossible to thee. 
Fear not to build thine eyrie in the heights, 

Bright with celestial day ; 
And trust thyself unto thine inmost soul 

In simple faith alway. 
And God shall make divinely real 
The highest forms of thy ideal. 



A. D. 30. 

J une. 
JERUSALEM. 
Picture of 
the Ideal 
Church. 



— Anne Preston. 



78 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



III: I 



j 

CHAPTER III. 



1. Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at 
the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 



Pictures. — Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate, 
by Raphael. St. Peter Curing the Cripple, by Masaccio, 
Florence. Ideal portraits of Peter, in Titian's Tribute 
Money; and in Jacopo Palma's Peter Enthroned, at 
Venice. 



1. Peter and John. — ' ' We want the two apostles, the Petrine spirit of 
faith, the Johannine spirit of love'' 1 — Professor Bedford. Two is the 
best number. More would be a hindrance, and would be divisive, while 
two would accomplish nearly all that more could do. This is still one 
true and effective method of Christian work. Two are more than twice 
one. Two tones are more than twice one tone. Two colors are more 
than twice one color. 

Working Two By Two. 
4 So when two work together, each for each 
Is quick to plan, and can the other teach ; 

But when alone one seeks the best to know, 
His skill is weaker and his thoughts are slow." 

Harmony not Identity of Character. — Two friends must be set to 
the same key, and each note must harmonize with the others. They 
form two parts to the same tune. There must be large similarity of 
sympathy and principles, the same general trend and quality of life, 
together with such personal differences as make one friend the com- 
plement of the other. They are like complementary colors — very 
different, and yet both formed by rays of light, and so adapted one to 
the other that they belong together, and each is brighter and better for 
the presence of the other. 



Homer's Hero-Friends. — " The heroic companions celebrated by 
Homer and others seem to have but one heart and soul, with scarcely a 
wish oi object apart, and only to live, as they are always ready to die, 



A. 30. 

June. 
TEMPLE AT 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter and. 
John. 

TIBERIUS, EMP. 
OF ROME. 



Ill: I 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



79 



for one another. . . . The idea of a Greek hero 4*- 
seems not to have been thought complete without 
such a brother in arms by his side." — ThirlwaWs 
History of Greece. 



TEMPLE AT 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter and 



A. D. 30. 



June. 



The medallion in Westminster Abbey, of the two 
brothers John and Charles Wesley joined in one. 



John. 



TIBERIUS, EMP. 



OF ROME. 



Two BY Two. — " One of the ways Christ took to overcome their imper- 
fection in doing a work which called for perfection in the workers was 
in His grouping of the apostles when sending them out two by two, in 
the order indicated in Matthew, 10 : 2-4. 

Simon Peter, the bold, impetuous apostle, is paired with the far-seeing, 
cautious, careful Andrew, that the rash, radical temper of the one 
may balance the cautious, conservative disposition of the other. 

James and John, though brothers, differed greatly in age. John must 
have been very young, what we would call a lad, so the Master paired 
them off — youth and age together, the fervency of the one comple- 
menting the serenity of the other. 

Philip is the slow-witted apostle; Nathanael Bartholomew is as quick- 
witted as the other is slow. So the Lord sent them out together ; for the 
slow wit may help the quick, and the quick the slow. He needs both. 

Thomas is the doubting, skeptical intellect; Matthew is one of the 
heroes of faith, ready for its ventures, standing the supreme test of 
abandoning his substance at Christ's word. James, whom I regard as the 
author of the Epistle, is the most practical of men ; Jude is the man 
of doctrine, and writes an Epistle against false teachers, with the text, 
"Hold fast the faith." The Master did not want these two things 
separated, so He sent them out together. 

Simon the Zealot, orCananean, shows by his previous history, that he 
is a man of zeal and enthusiasm. " Independence at any 
cost ! " was the motto of the party he had belonged to. The Apos- 
Judas Iscariot was a minimum Christian. He had no zeal ties in Pairs, 
and was worth nothing. 

So the Master made one whole man out of two half men. And so His 
church should go forth, two by two, each with the one most unlike 
himself, and therefore best able to help him." — President B. E. 
Thompson, S. T. D., in Sunday School Times. 



Library. — H. C. Trumbull's Friendship the Master Passion. The 
excursus on The love of Christ, and the difference between Philein and 
Agapdn. 



8o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



111:2 



2. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid 
daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that 
entered into the temple ; 



Went up to the Temple. — The ecstatic hours of life ought to be suc- 
ceeded by quiet worship, for that alone can sustain the heart with true 
nourishment. Suspect any inspiration that makes you contemptuous 
of ordinary religious duty. Peter and John might have said, " We are 
no longer mechanical worshippers ; we have received the Holy Ghost 
into our hearts, and for us all Sabbath days, and sacrificial hours, and 
sacred places are abolished — we live the higher life." No such speech 
did they make. Our Christian life has its Pentecost ; there are rare 
days in our consciousness ; there are times when we think we are almost 
going into the celestial company. Have we not all said : 

" My willing soul would stay 
In such a frame as this, 
And sit and sing herself away 
To everlasting bliss." 

But the practical lesson immediately succeeds. — Joseph Parker. 



2. Alms, k\vc\\i.o<Tvvy\v , the virtue or quality of one who is eX€T|}juov, 

merciful, hence mercy shown in giving to the needy. Our word alms, 
contracted from almesse is allied to it, and eleemosynary is a translitera- 
tion. The word in German becomes Almosen = a gift of charity. 



2. The Lame Man. — How helpless man is to save himself from the 
disease of sin may be illustrated by ^Eschylus' " Prometheus Bound ; " 
by Virgil's Laocoon with his sons in the coils of the great serpent 
(Book II.), of which statues may be seen in most art galleries. 



"Not that there was any weakness in his body, all the weakness 
was in his ankles. Raphael seems to have seized this 
feature. He has drawn at a little distance from him Raphael's 
another deformed man, who, however, is able to hobble Picture, 
along by the help of a crutch. But I think Raphael was 
mistaken in drawing his legs in a stiff and rigid form, It was not 
rigidity in his ankles he was suffering from, but extreme weakness. — 
Rev. J. Gynddylan Jones. 



111:2 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



Si 



Poverty at hand, weakness close beside us, are quite 4" 

unromantic ; it is distance which lends enchantment 
to the view in many cases as we converse 
Poverty about heathenism. But our home-heathen 
Near at must not be absolutely neglected because 
Hand. they are so near. Many men, and some 
women, will shed tears over the painted 
picture of a Neapolitan boy begging, who would speak 
most savagely to the same lad if they met him alive in New York 
streets ; they would quote with vigor the first part of Peter's little 
speech, and leave off the rest of it ; and they would not put out their 
hands at all. — G. S. Robinson, D. D 



A. ». 30. 

June. 
AT THE 
GATE 
BEAUTIFUL. 

Tlie Lame 
Man. 



Library. — H. C. Trumbull's Studies in Oriental Social Life, "Calls 
for Healing in the East." 

Beautiful Gates. — The magnificent gates of the temple were made 
so beautiful, in order to attract men, and to express the greater glories 
within, and " to symbolize the entrance into heaven." 



"The expensive architecture of ancient gates is seen in the enormous 
gates of Karnak in Eygpt ; in the Propylaeon at Athena ; in modern 
times in the vast colonnade of St. Peter's at Rome. Michael Angelo said 
of the splendid bronze doors of the Baptistry at Florence, that they were 
fit to be the gates of paradise. — Rev. Franklin Johnson, D. D. It is 
very noticeable how in all the great cathedrals on the continent so much 
expense and beauty are lavished on their entrances. 



There are many beautiful gates in life to higher and better things. 
The Gate of Hope, the Gate of Love, the Gate of Character, the Gate 
of Faithfulness, the Gate of Prayer. Jesus Christ is the Beautiful Gate 
to Eternal Life. 



The temple of religion has a beautiful gate in it ; but in one important 
respect it differs from the beautiful gate of the Jewish temple. On the 
pillars on either side of that gate were engraved in Greek letters the 
words, " Let no stranger pass beyond this on pain of death." But through 
the beautiful gate of the gospel every one is free to enter into the 
holiest place. And that at all times. 

In each of the great churches of Rome there is what is Porta Santa 
called the Porta Santa, or Floly Door. It is made of a of 
peculiar marble, and is sealed up for fifty years, so that no St. Peter's, 
one during all that time can obtain admission through 
it to the high altar. In the jubilee year the reigning Pox^e knocks 
6 



82 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



111:3,4 



3. Who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked an alms. 

4. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 



at this door with a silver hammer ; and immediately it is pulled 
down and a breach made through which the Pope, followed by a 
splendid procession can pass and minister in the most sacred place. But 
not like this Porta Santa is the beautiful gate of the gospel. Not at 
long intervals is it opened. To every one who knocks, however feebly, 
and at whatever time, it swings back at once and gives admission. All 
that is needful to entitle any one to admission is faith and love. It is a 
beautiful gate b}^ which you enter into God's kingdom. The everlasting 
doors are lifted up that you may pass through. — H. Macmillan, LL. D. 



Library. — See Prof. Phelps' The Still Hour, p. 104. 



Oriental Beggars. — Travelers tell us that one of the saddest things 
to be seen in Eastern countries is the crowding of beggars in the ap- 
proaches to Mohammedan mosques, and at the gates of cities and large 
houses, many of them presenting the most painful and revolting pictures 
of human suffering. "The stationing of beggars, especially maimed 
beggars, at the gate of the temple, was evidently suggested by the per- 
suasion that the feelings of those who were proceeding to, or had been 
engaged in, an act of solemn worship, would be more inclined to charity 
and benevolence than at ordinary times" (see "Bible Lands and 
Customs," Van Lennep, vol. ii. p. 754). 



4. Fastening, aT€vio-as, from tcivw, to stretch, and "a," intensive, 
to fasten the eyes on anything with tense attention. Our word attention 
has the same literal meaning. 



Wayside Ministries. — This opportunity came to the apostles by 
the wayside, while they were on the way to another duty. Some of 
our best privileges and most useful hours come to us in this way, as 
rows of peach trees grew up by the roadside where the soldiers threw 
the stones of the peaches they had eaten, and as the straw in which the 
artist Thorwaldsen's statues were packed brought over from Rome 
the seeds of new flowers to adorn the gardens of Copenhagen. We are 
ever to be on the lookout for unexpected and wayside opportunities to 
do good. 



111:5,6 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



83 



5. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive some- 
thing of them. 

6. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as 
I have give I thee : In the name of Jesus Christ of Naz'areth 
rise up and walk. 



A. D. 30. 

June. 
TEMPLE. 
Lame Man 
Healed. 



* 

Sidney Smith is reported to have wittily said : " Whenever A sees B 
in trouble, he is sure to say, with due consideration, that C ought to 
help him." It was just the reverse with Peter and John, they hasted 
themselves to help. 



Look on us. — So the Israelite bitten by the fiery serpents looked upon 
the brazen serpent held up for his healing. Num. 21 : 9. See Isa. 45 : 22. 



Aquinas and the Pope. — Cornelius a Lapide beautifully relates how 
Thomas Aquinas once came to Pope Innocent IV. at Rome and was 
shown through all the sumptuously furnished rooms of the Papal Palace. 
He became almost as much fatigued and dazed as was the queen of 
Sheba, when she had been dazzled with the riches of Solomon's kingdom. 
" See, Thomas," said Innocent, " see the Church can no more say as it 
did in those first days, 'Silver and gold have I none.'" "True, holy 
father," replied Thomas Aquinas, "but the Church of the present day 
can hardly say to a lame man what the Church of the first days said, 
' Arise and walk.' " 



Such as I Have Give I Thee. — Only such as a person has can he 
give to others. We cannot kindle others unless we ourselves are on 
fire. Warm words without a warm heart leave us but "a mountain of 
ice in a sea of fire." If one has courage, hope, love, goodness, he can 
infuse them into other souls. If he himself is full of doubts, hate, ill- 
temper, bad passions, it is these he will impart to those around him, 
and, by no means, can such an one impart to others the good he has 
not himself. The charged wire gives electricity ; the coal, the reservoir 
of the ancient sun's rays, can give heat ; ice gives cold ; the sun gives 
light ; the mine gives silver or gold ; powder gives its explosive power, 
medicine its healing virtue. 



Fire as Servant or Master. — Money is like fire, a good servant, 
but a bad master. As master it consumes our dwellings, it burns up 
cities, it destroys our bodies with inconceivable tortures. As a servant 
it brings cheer, comfort, light, warmth health and life. 



8 4 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



III: 7 , 8 



7. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up ; and immediately his 
feet and ankle boues received strength. 

8. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple- 
walking, and leaping, and praising God. 



The story of St. Crispin is told at length by the Bollandists in the 
Acta Sanctorum for October, vol. xi., pp. 495 to 540. St. Chrysostom 
in one of his orations paints a vigorous picture of two 
imaginary cities, one where all the people were rich, with Two 
an abundance of slaves, and therefore dependent on others Pictures, 
for all the necessaries and conveniences of life ; the other 
city inhabited by none but poor freemen, where everyone labored at 
manual toil and provided for his wants by his own exertions. He then 
asks which is the happier ; unhesitatingly giving the palm to the city 
of poverty, labor and freedom. — Rev. S. T. Stokes, D. D. 

7. Took Him by the Right Hand. — I heard Dr. Virgin of New York, 
say the other day that he visited with a friend Tiffany's great jewelry 
store. His friend showed him a magnificent diamond with its gleam- 
ing yellow light, and many other splendid stones. As they went along 
he saw one jewel that was perfectly lustreless, and he said, " That has no 
beauty about it at all." But his friend put it in the hollow 
of his hand and shut his hand, and then in a few moments The Opal 
opened it, and he said, "What a surprise ! There was not and the 
a place on it the .size of a pinhead that did not gleam Human 
with the splendor of the rainbow." And then he said, Hand. 
"What have you been doing with it?'' His friend 
answered, "This is an opal. It is what we call the sympathetic jewel. 
It only needs contact with the human hand to bring out its wonderful 
beauty." All childhood needs is that the human hand should touch it, 
and it will gleam with all the opalescent splendor that can shine from 
heavenly minds. — Rev. A. E. Dunning, D. D. 



Leaping Up. — e^aXXofievos, fr. cfj from, up, and aXXojxat, to spring up 
like water from a fountain fused for the second leaping in this verse). 
The compound is used in medical language " of starting from sleep, or 
the sudden bound of the pulse." 



Walking. — The miracle did more than give strength. For the art of 
walking must needs be learned. It is said of Kasper Hauser, who was 
confined in a German prison from birth till he was 17 years old, that 
when he first came out he could not walk without stumbling. But this 
man walked at once. — Rev. R. R. Doherty, Ph. D. 



Ill: 7, 8 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



85 



Praising God. — Praise is as natural to a child of 4* 
God, as his morning song to a bird ; or the gushing of 
the waters to a fountain. 



A. I>. 30. 

June. 



TEMPLE. 
Lame Man 
Healed. 



The Two Baskets. 



St. Peter, from the door of heaven one day, 
Sped two young angels on their happy way, 
For the first time to see the world in May — 
Both bearing baskets. 

They were to bring back flowers more fragrant far 
Than budding rose and blooming hawthorn are ; 
They were to bring the praise of all the star 
Back in their baskets. 

The Angel of Thanksgivings, full of glee, 
Donned a huge hamper half as big as he ; 
But the Collector of Petitions — see ! 
With a small basket. 

When they returned, St. Peter? as before, 
Sat with his golden keys beside the door ; 
But each appeared to be in trouble sore 
About his basket. 

The Angel of Petitions bore a sack 
Cram full, and bound uncouthly on his back : 
Yet even then it seemed that he had lack 
Of bag or basket. 

The Angel of Thanksgivings blushed to feel 
The empty lightness of his mighty creel : 
" But three ! " he muttered turning on his heel 
To hide his basket. 

Then spoke St. Peter : " When again you go 
On prayer-gathering you will better know 
That men's petitions in the world below 



" But when you go to gather up their thanks, 
For prayers well answered and forgiven pranks, 
For health restored and disentangled hanks — 



Fill a big basket. 



Your smallest basket ! " 



— Quoted in the Sunday-School Times. 



86 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS HI: 9, IO 



9. And all the people saw him walking and praising God : 

10. And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of 
the temple ; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had 
happened unto him. 



10. Amazement, iKo-rdcrews, from Ik, out of, and i'o-ttjjxi, to put or place ; 
hence of a man put out of his senses, out of his normal condition ; 
transported as with joy or wonder ; rapt, from earthly things as in a 
trance. Our word ecstasy is a transcript of the Greek. 



Definition op a Miracle. — A miracle is the personal intervention of 
God by His will into the chain of cause and effect in nature. It is not 
a " breaking of the laws of nature," nor " the suspension of the laws of 
nature," nor any change in the laws of nature, but simply God's doing 
with His infinite power the same quality of action, though vastly greater 
in degree, that we do every hour when we exert our per- 
sonal will amid the forces of nature. I lift up a book. The Illustrations 
act is a mere personal force, which marks the power of my of 
will. It breaks no law of nature, suspends none. It is the Miracle, 
same when God, by His infinite power, lifts up a mountain 
or raises the dead. It is his personal will touching nature and show- 
ing that God Himself is there. Just as a friend can grant a favor, or 
the owner of a factory stop a part of the machinery to rescue a child 
caught in the wheels. 

Reference. — See under 2 : 22. 



Miracles Worthy of Christ. — Dr. Gregg, in Our Best Moods, quotes : 
' ' A German astronomer not long ago called my attention to the mag- 
nificent distances and the sublime evolutions of the heavenly bodies. 
Said he, ' Up there in the December skies I can see something that is 
worthy of an Almighty God. But when I come back from 
the stars to your Old Testament story about fire coming A German 
clown from the sky to burn up fragments of slaughtered Astronomer, 
lamb, it seems very petty in contrast.'" But when we see ' 
that that act on Carmel saved a whole nation from destruction, a nation 
from which the Messiah was to come, and rescued from ruin a great 
number of men whose souls shall outlive the stars, it was worthy of the 
Being who rules the stars. 

Library. — In the same way in Tennyson's Idyls of the King, a knight 
says that he can find God's goodness in the stars, in the flowers, in the 
fields, but not in his ways with man. But the object lesson of God's 
healing and help shows His goodness. 



Ill: II THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 87 



11. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and 
John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that 
is called Sol'omon's, greatly wondering. 



A. ». 30. 

June. 
Ga t lie r inf- 
ill 

Solomon's 
Porch. 



Miracles Illustrated. — "I regard a miracle," 
said uncle, "to be merely such an interference wi' *k i" 
the established coorse o' things as infallibly shows 
us the presence and the action o' a supernatural pooer. What 
o'clock is it wi' you, sir, if you please?" "It is half-past twelve, 
exactly; Greenwich time," replied Smith. "Well, sir," said uncle, 
pulling a huge old time-piece from his pocket, "it's ane o'clock wi' me. 
I generally keep my watch a bitte forrit. But I may hae a special rea- 
son noo for setting my watch by the railway ; and, so, see ye, I'm 
turnin' the hauns o't around. Noo, wad ye say that I have violated the 
laws o' a watch ? True, I hae dune what watchdom, wi' a' its laws, 
cooldna hae dune for itself ; but I hae dune violence to nane o' its laws. 
My action is only the interference o' a superior intelligence for a suit- 
able end ; but I hae suspended nae law, violated nae law. Weel, then, 
instead o' the watch, say the universe ; instead o' moving the hands, say 
God acting worthily of himsel' ; and we hae a' that I contend for in a 
miracle ; that is, the unquestionable presence of an Almighty hand 
working the divine will. # And if He sees fit to work miracles, what can 
hinder Him? He has dune it aftener than once or twice already, and 
wha daur say that He'll not get leave to do't again? 



Moral Miracles. — " When a man declares to me, ' I cannot believe 
in miracles,' I reply, ' I can, because I have witnessed them.' 'When 
and where ? ' ' On a certain street in this city is a man who was a week 
ago given over to every form of vice and brutality, and who is now a 
good citizen, an honest workman, a kind husband, a loving father, a 
pure, upright man. Surely, that is such a miracle as makes me forever 
believe in the possibility of miracles.' " — Prof. Drummond. In the Gre- 
cian story the giant Antaeus, in wrestling with Hercules, doubled his 
strength when he touched the earth. And our faith renews its strength 
when it touches the ground of fact. 



11. Greatly Wondering. — This miracle had great attractive power. 
" Imagine, if you can, the condition of a country in which there are no 
doctors, where the healing art is only practiced by a few quacks, who 
rely more on charms than on physics for their cures. Such 
is now, and such was Palestine in our Lord's day. Until Healing 
the medical missionaries were sent by several English socie- Art in the 
ties, there was not a physician in the land, and even now East. 



88 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



III: 12 



12. IF And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, 
why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own 
power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 



there are very few. In such a country as this, with sick and crippled 
in every vilage, picture the eager excitement when the news spread 
that there is a good physician arrived in town." — H. B. Tristram, 
LL. D. 

Miracles are like a church-bell, calling men to Jesus. Like a rising 
bell, awakening the nation from spiritual drowsiness. 



Doves in St. Mark's Square. — The doves flock in great numbers to 
St. Mark's Square in Venice at certain hours, because then the people 
go out and scatter grain for them. Food for their souls will draw 
the wondering crowd ; as to John the Baptist in the wilderness and to 
Jesus in Galilee and Perea. 



12. As Though by Our Own Power. — Peter directed men's thoughts 
away from himself to Christ. It is said that when Leonardo da Vinci 
had finished his celebrated picture of the Last Supper, which still 
stands on the wall of a convent in the city of Milan, he introduced a 
friend to inspect the work privately, and give his judgment regarding 
it. " Exquisite ! " exclaimed his friend ; " that wine-cup seems to 
stand out from the table as solid glittering silver." Thereupon the 
artist quietly took a brush and blotted out the cup, saying, " I meant 
that the figure of Christ should first and mainly attract the observer's 
eye, and whatever detracts attention from Him must be blotted out." — 
Amot. 



Medical Missions. —To my thinking, no one follows in the Master's 
footprints so closely as the medical missionary. ' ' The 
medical mission is the outcome of the living teachings of Testimony 
our faith. I have now visited such missions in many parts of Isabella 
of the world, and never saw one which was not healing, Bird 
helping, blessing, softening prejudice, diminishing suffer- Bishop, 
ing . . . telling in every work of love and of consecrated 
skill of the infinite compassion of Him who ' came, not to destroy men's 
lives, but to save them.' " — Isabella Bird Bishop. 



Ill : 1 3—18 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 89 

eU 1*1 

13. The God of A'braham, and of I'saac, and of Jacob, the 
God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus ; whom ye 
delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when 
he was determined to let Mm go. 

14. But ye denied the Holy One aud the Just, and desired 
a murderer to be granted unto you; 

15. And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from 
the dead ; whereof we are witnesses. 

16. And his name, through faith in his name hath made this 
man strong, whom ye see and know : yea, the faith which is by 
him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 

17. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your 
rulers. 

18. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his 
prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 



15. Prince, &pxT|-y6v, fr. a.p\r\, beginning, origin, the first ; and crya), to 
bring, hence originally the author of life, as here : and thence a prince, 
as the first, the chief, the head. 



16. Perfect Soundness (oXokXtipiciv). — From o\os, entire, and tempos, 
a lot. Denoting, therefore, the condition of one who has his entire 
allotment. — ill. R. Vincent. 



His Name through Faith in His Name. — In this and similar miracles 
we have an evidence of the loving character of God, and of the gospel 
in which He was revealed. It is an illustration of what ever follows 
true Christianity in some form. The kindly feeling, the desire to help, 
the increased skill which springs up under Christianity as flowers and 
fruits grow in the sunshine, has made Christ's works through His 
people greater than those He wrought in the body on earth. They are 
not miracles, but are better than miracles, as the prolonged sunshine 
is better than a flash of lightning. Blind asylums have opened many 
eyes, and caused people to read and work even without sight. Hos- 
pitals have cured and cared for multitudes of sick and insane. We 
cannot raise the dead to life, but the average length of life has been 
greatly increased. 

The proof of the gospel to-day is shown in the results of Christian 
civilization, and in the amount of interest shown in the poor. The 
books, the discussions, the politics of the day are full of the ways and 
means for abolishing and mitigating poverty. Much is yet to be done 
in carrying out the spirit of the gospel ; but it is well to see what 
wonders have already been accomplished, by comparing the advantages 



A. D. 30. 

J une. 
SOLOMON'S 
PORCH. 
Peter's 
Sermon. 
Jesus tlie 
Messiah. 
Still Alive. 



9 o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



III : 19-21 



19. 1 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, 
when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 

20. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 

21. Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, 
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world 
began. 



of the poor in Christian lands with their condition in all others. Com- 
pare a poor man in America with one in Africa, or Turkey, 
or India, or China. In no other lands are the poor so Christian- 
near the rich in advantages as in Christian lands. The ity and 
gospel is for the poor : they can worship in the most ex- the Poor, 
pensive buildings. Printing has made Bibles so cheap that 
the poorest can read them, and learn to read them in free schools which 
are better than most private schools of the rich. Colleges are endowed 
so that the poor can have the highest education. Public libraries and 
galleries of art are open to all. There are free homes and hospitals for 
the aged and the sick. In London alone there are 2,000 agencies for 
their help, and $25,000,000 are expended every year. So in New York 
and all our great cities. The poor can ride as fast in railroad cars as 
the rich, can have their daily papers, can enjoy music and home 
comforts such as only kings and princes could have a few hundred 
years ago. 

" Immortal love, forever full, 
Forever flowing free, 
Forever shared, forever whole 
A never ebbing sea. 
" We may not climb the heavenly steeps 
To bring the Lord Christ down ; 
In vain we search the lowest deeps, 
For Him no depths ban drown. 
" For warm, sweet, tender, even yet 
A present help is He ; 
And faith has still its Olivet, 
And love its Galilee. 
" The healing of His seamless dress 
Is by our beds of pain ; 
We touch Him in life's throng and press, 
And we are whole again," 

—J. G. Whittier. 



19. Blotted Out (4f;a\€i<j>0f)vai.) — Forgiveness of sins under the figure 
of the erasure of handwriting. In classical Greek the verb is opposed to 



111:22-24 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 91 



22. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall 
the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like 
unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall 
say unto you. 

23. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not 
hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. 

24. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that 
follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of 
these days. 



€YYpd<j>€iv, to enter a name. So Aristophanes: " They do things not to be 
borne, entering (Ivvpdc^ovTeg) some of us, and others, erasing (4fja\eu|>ov- 
tcs) up and down, twice or thrice." (" Peace," 1180.) More especially 
with reference to an item in an account. — M. R. Vincent. 



21. Op Restitution (diroKaTacrrdcrccos), fr. diro from, back again, 
Kara, down, down from, and i<ttt||ii to set, or place hence to put back 
from its wrong place back again into its right place, to restore to its 
former state — as to complete health, or from disorder to order, of a 
kingdom to its rightful ruler, of a dislocated joint to its place. 



Repentance is getting out of one train, and getting into another. 
You are on the wrong train. You are on the wrong path that taketh 
you down to the pit of hell. Get out of it to-night. Right about, face. 
"Turn ye, for why will ye die." — D. L Moody. 



Sins Blotted Out. — Many Oriental merchants kept their accounts 
on little tablets of wax. On these tablets they indented marks which 
recorded the debts, and when these debts were paid, they took the 
blunt end of the stylus or pencil, and just flattened down the wax, and 
the account entirely disappeared. Now, he that repents and is 
pardoned is, through the precious blood of Christ, so entirely forgiven 
that there is no record of his sin left. If we blot out an account from 
our books, the record is gone, but there is the blot; but on the wax 
tablet there was no blot. But sin cannot be removed except by repent- 
ance and conversion. — Spurgeon. 



23. Shall be Destroyed (I^o\o0peu0Tjcr€Tai) — Shall be destroyed Ik, 
out of existence, utterly. 



Shall be Destroyed from among the People. —Fulfilled at the 
destruction of Jerusalem A. D. 70, about 40 years after this sermon. 
The nation wantonly rejected and refused their only hope. 



A. ». 30. 

Jtcne. 
Peter's 
Sermon in 
Solomon's 

Porch. 
Promise to 
Those Who 
Believe. 



9 2 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS III : 25, 26 



25. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made 
with our fathers, saying uuto A'brahain, And 111 thy seed shall all the kindreds of 
the earth be blessed. 

26. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, 
in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. 



Reference. — See under 24:25. "The luchcape bell" and other 
illustrations. 



Yea, All The Prophets. — The Jewish prophets had so proclaimed 
the hope of the world that even heathen had caught glimpses of the 
dawn. 



Cicero's Prophecy. — The following remarkable words were written 
by the heathen orator Cicero in the first century of the Christian era. 
He said : " The time is coming when there shall not be one law for Rome 
and another for Athens ; one law for man and another for woman ; one 
law for one time and another law for another time ; but one universal 
law for all nations, all classes and both sexes. It will be a law which is 
just and immutable, and will exist forever. To that day are we mov- 
ing." Was not this an unconscious prophecy of the coming universal 
and endless kingdom of God, the union of a redeemed race under one 
just ruler, an expression of the heart-yearning of the weary centuries 
for the return to earth of " The Better Day ?" 



Foretold These Days. — It was a time when the nations were 
awakening to their need of a truer religion, a clearer light, a powerful 
Redeemer from sin. There was despair for their own religions, and an 
intense desire for something better. Stars of hope had risen in literature 
pointing to this time, as the Fourth Eclogue of Virgil, and the state- 
ments of Tacitus and Josephus that, as Farrar says, " there prevailed 
throughout the entire East at this time, an intense conviction, derived 
from ancient prophecies, that ere long a powerful monarch would arise 
in Judea, and gain dominion over the world." The prophecies of the Old 
Testament all pointed to this period. 



Library. — Breed's new book, Preparation of the World for Christ ; 
Virgil's Fourth Eclogue, Lecky's History of European Morals. 



25. The Covenant. — " Among the curiosities of the Bank of England 
may be seen some cinders, the remains of some bank notes that were 
burned in the great fire of Chicago. After the fire they were found; 



111:25, 26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



93 



and carefully put between boards, and brought to the 
bank. After applying chemical tests, the numbers 
and values were ascertained, and the Bank of England 
paid the money value to the owners. If a human 
promise can be worth so much, how much more so is 
the promise of God. Nothing can ever destroy the 
promise Divine: 'I will be their God.' "— Home 
Words. 



26. All The Earth be Blessed. — On the cover of one of Robert 
Ingersoll's books is a design of three crosses ( + + + ) with 
the legend, "For the glory of God," and under this are Telegraph 
three telegraph poles (Iff) like crosses with the legend, Poles or 
" For the good of man," — as if the telegraph had done Crosses, 
more for the good of man than had the cross of Christ. But 
if any one will sum up the good things each lias done, it will be seen that 
the cross has done a millionfold more than the telegraph, blessed as it is, 
for the comfort, the enjoyment, the blessing of man, in this world, to 
say nothing of the next. 



The Promise Never Fails. 

Blessed conviction that struggles within, 
Blessed repentance that turns me from sin, 
Blessed announcement that Jesus has died, 
Blessed salvation through Calvary's tide, 
Blessed assurance that God has forgiven, 
Blessed condition I've started for heaven, 
Blessed the service He gives me to do, 
Blessed the blessedness all the way through ! 



Prosperity and Religion. — A recent editorial in the Advance says 
that there is no way of reaching the masses except by leading them to 
repentance and faith. "The churches have no idea how a class of 
people who support one or two saloons on a block can at the same time 
support comfortable homes. They do not know how a man can spend 
his money in a saloon at night and the next day buy carpets, chairs and 
pictures for his house with it Christianity is a power, but it has no 
patent elevator for lifting a young man loaded down with bad habits to 
the top story of success. In fact, it is disposed to class the search for 
such a device with the efforts to invent a perpetual motion machine, 
or to discover the alchemy which will turn all metals into gold. Nor 
can the churches get away from the law of righteousness. That law is 



* * 

A. D. 30. 
J une. 
Peter's 
Sermon in 
Solomon's 

Porch. 
Promise to 
Those Who 
Believe. 

* * 



94 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 111:25,26 



a law of prosperity. It is so written in the Old Testament and in the 
New. ' Do this that you may prosper.' ' Seek ye first the kingdom of 
God, and all these things shall be added unto you.' This principle of 
the kingdom, like all divine laws, is always fulfilling itself. A man 
living in alley or cellar, is converted, becomes a Christian, moves out on 
a good street, and finally goes up town. A community is God-fearing, 
Sabbath-keeping. Its families prosper. Its young men go out and 
accumulate fortunes. They endow colleges and help to build churches 
and support them. You cannot overthrow the principle. It is the vital 
connection between spiritually awakened energy and material effect or 
result. Charging that the churches are in possession of the prosperous 
people is only putting the cart before the horse. A proper statement is 
that true church life results in prosperity. — The Advance. 



IV : 1-4 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



95 



CHAPTER IV. 



And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the 
captain of the temple, and the Sad'ducees, came upon them, 

2. Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached 
through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 

3. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto 
the next day : for it was now eventide. 

4. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed ; 
and the number of the men was about five thousand. 



1. Came Upon (ktria-T^a-av.) Or stood by them, suddenly. Compare 
Luke xxiv. 4 ; Acts xxii. 20 ; xxiii. 11. Of dreams or visions, to appear 
to. — M. R. Vincent. 



2. Being grieved, 8iairovoti|i6voi, from 8id, through, thoroughly, and 
n-ove'to, to labor, to be at pains, hence to ivork out laboriously, to be pained 
or troubled all through, to be thoroughly worked up. 



"Satan's activity is always increased when Christ's disciples bestir 
themselves. The fires of persecution begin to kindle as soon as the fires 
of the Spirit begin to burn. — A. T. Pierson, D. D. 



Bellows and the Fire. — The efforts of the Sadducees were like a 
man trying to blow out the fire on the hearth with a bellows. The more 
he blows, the more the fire burns. 



Sweeping Out the Atlantic Ocean. — Sidney Smith tells us that in 
1824 a great flood set in upon the town of Sidmouth, Eng. The tide 
rose to an incredible height ; the waves rushed in upon the houses, and 
everything was threatened with destruction. In the midst of this sub- 
lime and terrible storm, an old lady who lived upon the beach was seen 
at the door of her house with mop and pattens, trundling her mop and 
squeezing out the sea water, and vigorously pushing away the Atlantic 
Ocean. That is the picture of those who are trying to sweep away the 
Gospel of Christ. Dame Partington could more easily sweep out the 
ocean. The more they oppose the faster grows the church. 



A. ». 30. 

June. 
THE 
TEMPLE 
COURTS. 
Peter and 

John 
Arrested. 



Reference. — See under 5 : 40, and 8 : 3, the effects of Persecution. 



9 6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IV: 5-IO 



5. And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, 

6. And An'nas the high priest, and Ca'iaphas, and John, and Al'exan'der, and as 
many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 

7. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by 
what name, have ye done this? 

8. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, 
and elders of Israel, 

9. If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by 
what means he is made whole ; 

10. Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of 
Jesus Christ of Naz'areth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even 
by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 



7. By (ivhat power) iv, in the sphere of, under the control of, actu- 
ated by — So we speak of one's being in love. 



Annas was ex-high priest, so far as Roman authority could depose 
from that office, and Caiaphas, was the one the Romans appointed in 
his place. "It is a familiar usage in every language to speak of the 
'governor,' 'the president,' 1 the senator,' and the like, though the per- 
son so termed is no longer in office." A New York paper announced 
that President Hayes and President Arthur stood together at the funeral 
services of General Grant. That statement, which would not be con- 
fusing to any one familiar with the facts, but would be very difficult to 
build up history on, may illustrate this record. — H. R. Doherty, Ph. D. 



10. By the Name. — " The primitive Christians had a profound rever- 
ence for the names of our Saviour, which they delighted to depict in 
different ways, some of them so secret as to defy the curiosity of the 
pagans. They used the symbol I H. S., which I have known to arouse 
the susceptibilities of suspicious Protestants, though nothing but a Latin 
or Western adaptation of the three first letters of the Greek word 
IH20Y2 (Jesus) written in capitals. The fish, again, was the favorite 
symbol, because each letter of the Greek word stood for a differ- 

ent title of our Lord, 'I^o-ous, Xpicrros, 0e6s, Ylos, 2o>tt)p, or Jesus, Christ, 
God, Son, Savior. — Prof. Stokes. Another interpretation of I. H. S. 
is that they are the initials of 'I^trovs (Jesus) 6 (Ho, The)2a)Trjp (Saviour) 
or of the Latin, Jesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus Saviour of Men). 



Raised from the Dead. — When Lepaux, a member of the French 
Directory, complained to Talleyrand that his new religion, " Theophil- 
anthropy," made little headway among the people, the shrewd old states- 
man replied : 

" I am not surprised at the difficulty you find in your effort. It is no 



IV: ii 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



97 



11. This is the stone which was set at uought of you build- 
ers, which is become the head of the corner. 



A. D. 30. 

J une. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter's 
Address 
to the 
San lied rin. 



easy matter to introduce a new religion. But there is 
one thing I would advise you to do, and then, perhaps, 
you might succeed." — "What is it? what is it?" 
eagerly asked Lepaux. — " It is this," said Talleyrand : 
"go and be crucified, and then be buried, and then rise again on the 
third day, and then go on working miracles, raising the dead, and heal- 
ing all manner of diseases and casting out devils ; and then it is possi- 
ble that you may accomplish your end ! " (The philosopher went away 
silent; and no infidel has succeeded in fulfilling these conditions.) — 
H. L. Hastings. 



Here Before You Whole. — Facts are the irrefutable evidence of 
Christianity. They are like Joseph's Wagons. The words of Jacob's 
sons could not convince him that Joseph was alive, but when he s; 
the wagons his son had sent, then he believed. So the relig- 
ion of Jesus is not a mere theory ; it is proved abundantly Facts, 
by facts. The lives that have been made better, the fact 
that it does change for good all those who receive it into their hear 
that wherever it enters a community or a nation it elevates them 
these are facts like Joseph's wagons, that should convince men. 



Reference. — "The two maps of the world," under 1 : 8. 



11. The Rejected Stone — The Stone Set at Naught, Became the 
Head op the Corner. — " There is a tradition of the Jewish rabbis 
which relates the history of a wonderful stone, prepared, as they say, 
for use in the building of Solomon's temple. Each block for that 
matchless edifice was shaped and fitted for its particular place, and 
came away from the distant quarry marked for the masons. But this 
one was so different from any other that no one knew what to do with 
it Beautiful, indeed, it was; carved with figures of exquisite love- 
liness and grace; but it had no fellow; it fitted nowhere; and at last 
the impatient and perplexed workmen flung it aside as only a splendid 
piece of folly. Years passed while the proud structure was going up 
without the sound of axe or hammer. During all this time, this dis- 
pised fragment of rock was lying in the valley of Jehoshaphat covered 
with dirt and moss. Then came the day of dedication; the vast throng 
arrived to see what the Israelites were wont to call ' the noblest fabric 
under the sun.' There it stood, crowning the mountain's ridge, and 
7 



9 3 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IV: 12 



12, Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under 
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 



shining with whiteness of silver and yellowness of gold; The wonder- 
ing multitudes gazed admiringly upon its magnificent proportions, 
grand in their splendor of marble. But when one said that the east 
tower was unfinished, or, at least, looked so, the chief architect grew 
impatient again, and replied that Solomon was wise, but a builder must 
admit there was a gap in his plans. By and by the king drew near in 
person; with his retinue he rode directly to the incomplete spot, as if 
he there expected most to be pleased. ' Why is this neglect?' he asked 
in tones of indignant surprise. ' Where is the piece I sent for the head 
of this corner?' Then suddenly the frightened workmen bethought 
themselves of that rejected stone which they had been spurning as 
worthless. They sought it again, cleared it from its defilement, swung 
it fairly up into its place, and found it was indeed the the top-stone 
fitted so as to give the last grace to the whole." — C. S. Robinson. 



Burning Luther's Books. —When Luther's books were publicly 
burned by order of the Papal Nuncio, the remark made to the Emperor 
Charles' ministers was, "Do you imagine that Luther's doctrines are 
found only in those books that you are throwing into the fire? 
They are written where you cannot reach them, in the hearts of the 
nation." — UAubigne, Bk. 6, chap. 11. 



Note how often has this been true in the history of the world. 
Methodists, Puritan, were names of rejected stones. 



12. Dr. Chalmers at Kilmany preached the law with all the force of 
his eloquent nature. And he in his farewell address bears this witness : 
" I never heard of any such reformation being effected among them in 
this way. I am not sensible that all the vehemence with which I urged 
the virtues and proprieties of social life had the weight of a feather on 
the moral habits of my parishoners." Dr. Chalmers, while at Kilmany, 
was truly converted to Christ ; and then, when he preached the love 
and atonement of Christ, he again bears witness that by this he found 
that men obeyed the moral law, and he declares, "You have at least 
taught me that to preach Christ is the only effective way of preaching 
morality in all its branches." (Waylan d's Life of Chalmers, pp. 39-42.) 
Every true revival bears the same testimony. Some one has said that 
we need not a revival of religion, but a revival of honesty and truth. 
L never knew a revival of religion that was not a revival of honesty and 
truth and virtue. 



IV: 12 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



99 



The Man in a Pit. — "A man had fallen into a deep, 
dark pit, and lay in its miry bottom groaning and 
utterly unable to move. Confucius walking by, ap- 
proached the edge of the pit, and said, ' Poor fellow ! 
I am sorry for you. Why were you such a fool as to 
get into here ? Let me give you a piece of advice ; 
If you get out, don't get in again.' A Buddhist priest 
next came by, and said, ' Poor fellow ! I am very 
much pained to see you there ! Scramble up two- 
thirds or half the way, and I will lift you up the rest.' 
But the man was entirely helpless. Next Christ came by, and, hearing 
the cries, went to the very brink of the pit, stretched clown and laid 
hold of the poor man, brought him up and said, ' Go and sin no 
more.'" — A Converted Chinaman. 



A. 1>. 30. 

June. 
HALL OF 
THE SAN- 
HEDRIM. 
Peter's 
Address. 
Salvation 
toy Christ 
Alone. 



The Serpent in the Heart. — "The following extract from an 
address, spoken in a bazaar by an English missionary to a Brahmin and 
Hindoo crowd, is interesting as illustrative of the way in which gospel 
truth is carried home to the hearts blinded by heathenism : " A great 
and deadly serpent entered into a house, and made its abode in a hole 
in the wall. The family was greatly alarmed, and the neighbors came 
running to know what was the matter. ' A snake, a deadly snake, has 
come here to live. Oh, what shall we do?' Said one, ' Have the house 
thoroughly whitewashed.' Said another, 1 Have it painted, too, and 
send for a carpenter to mend all the doors and windows.' Said a third, 
'Send for a Brahmin to utter a mantra' (sacred voice in Sanskrit.) 
Well, the house was whitewashed and painted, and the learned Brah- 
min came and repeated the mantra ; and the family, reassured, ate, 
drank, and slept in the house in peace. About a month afterwards, one 
dark night, when all were asleep, the snake came out of his hole and 
bit the father, and he died. Two nights after, the reptile bit the son, 
and he died, too. Brother, do you know the meaning of this parable ? 
The house "is the body ; the hole in the inner wall is the heart ; the ser- 
pent is sin. By all your washings and daubings and ceremonies, you 
will no more get sin out of your heart than they got the serpent out of 
that house by lime and paint. Christ is the only remedy." — Anon. 



The Closing Prison. — In Germany there was a prison of exquisite 
beauty ; its floors and walls were highly polished ; it was roofless, and 
the prisoner could look out upon the beautiful sky. A prisoner was 
placed therein, and for a moment congratulated himself upon the 
polish and splendor of his apartments ; he could freety breathe the 
fresh air and see the stars that decked the brow of night, or the sun 



100 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IV: 12 



that rose in glory ; but after a time he observed that the walls were 
gradually approaching him, softly as the fall of the dew from the hand 
of night ; noiselessly, as by the force of gravitation, those walls drew 
nearer, inch by inch, and as they came closer and closer the cold sweat 
stood upon his brow, for he saw that those walls were soon to embrace 
him in the arms of death. There was but one way of escape, and that 
was from above ; a friendly hand might possibly be put down, but 
there was no such friendly hand for him. That represents the con- 
dition of humanity ; the walls are approaching, there is but one way 
of escape, and the relief comes from above. The Son of the highest 
from His Father's throne is reaching down His hand of power into our 
dungeon ; our hope is to grasp it, or the walls of our dungeon will 
crush us to death. "There is none other name given under heaven 
whereby we must be saved." — J. P. Newman, LL. D. 



Effect of Mr. Moody's Preaching in the Baltimore Prison.— 
While Mr. Moody was at Baltimore, in the winter of 1878-79, he 
preached every Sabbath at the penitentiary. There are about 1,000 in- 
mates. It is the custom to give to each one who obeys the rules, and 
has no black marks for a month, a check, which is equivalent to one 
day off from his sentence. There were usually 40 or 50 out of the 
thousand, who would gain their check by good behavior. After Mr. 
Moody had preached there a few weeks only one out of the thousand 
failed of gaining their check. The morality had increased from 40 to 
999. So it is ever that the religion of Jesus Christ is the one sure 
means of making men keep the law. 

The Two Engines. — I sometimes think of the beautiful theories and 
philosophies which offer to take the place of Christ, as like a little 
brass steam engine. We take it to one of the engineers on our railroad, 
and say to him, " Mr. Engineer, I have noticed that your engine is 
soiled with the dust and smoke. Here is a dent, and there a scratch, 
and yonder the paint is marred. But just look at this engine, how 
beautiful, it shines like silver, not a speck, nor scratch. Take away 
your old engine, and put this in its place." "Very well," says the 
engineer, " but what will it do ? Can it draw the train? What has it 
ever done ? Oh, I am sorry for every dent and speck that mars my 
engine, but it does the work, it moves the train, it carries passengers 
and freight swiftly to their desired destination." 

Oh ye Christless theories and religions, what have ye done ? Where 
are the men you have transformed, the nations you have uplifted ? But 
our Gospel, in spite of the imperfections of its disciples, is doing the 
work, is drawing men up toward God, is moving the nations toward 
the millennial days. 



IV: 13 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES IOI 



13. IF Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, 
and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they 
marvelled ; and they took knowledge of them, that they had 
been with Jesus. 



A. I>. 30. 

June. 
JERUSALEM. 

Apostles 
Before the 
Sanhedrim. 
Effect of 
Peter's 
Address. 



Christianity Behind the Age. — They tell us that 
Christianity is behind the age, or as some one said of a 
school, " behind all ages." It is behind the age, be- 
hind all ages. It is behind the age as the wind is 
behind the ship, — it makes it go. It is behind the age as the engine 
is behind the factory, driving its machinery. It is behind the age as 
the sun is behind the morning, bringing the dawn. 

13. Perceived KaTaXa Polevoi. The verb means to lay hold of, to 
grasp, hence to grasp mentally, to comprehend. 

Unlearned, d^pdixjiaTou Without letters or literature. Without the 
culture of the schools. 

Ignorant ISiwtcu (whence our word "idiot.") 

" Originally, one in a private station, as opposed to one in office or in 
public affairs. Therefore one without professional knowledge, a lay- 
man ; thence, generally, ignorant, ill-informed ; sometimes, plebeian, 
common. In the absence of certainty it is as well to retain the meaning 
given by the A. V., perhaps with a slight emphasis on the want otpro- 
fessional knowledge." — M. R. Vincent. 

13. The Boldness of Peter and John. — Luther shows the same spirit 
as his prototypes in this verse. "The pope doomed the monk's writ- 
ings to be burnt by the hangman, and his body to be sent bound to 
Rome — probably for the same purpose. It was the way they had ended 
with Huss, with Jerome, the century before. A short argument, fire." 
" Luther answered, yon are not God's vicegerent ; you are another's 
than his, I think ; I take your Bull as an emparchmented Lie, and burn 
it." And he did " at the Elster-Gate of Wittenberg." Luther was " a 
prophet idol-breaker." "I a poor German monk am 
stronger than you all. I stand solitary, friendless, but on Luther's 
God's Truth ; you with your tiaras, triple hats, with your Courage, 
treasuries and armories, thunders spiritual and temporal, 
stand on the Devil's Lie, and are not so strong ! " When pressed to 
stay away from the Diet at Worms, where he was to be tried for her- 
esy, he said to the messenger, " Go, tell your master that though there 
should be as many devils as there are tiles on its roofs, I would 
enter it." And again of his mortal enemy, Duke George, " If I had 
business at Leipzig, I would ride into Leipzig, though it rained Duke 
Georges for nine days running." See Carlyle's, Heroes Hero and Wor- 
ship, " The Hero as Priest." 



102 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IV: 13 



True Courage. — In an article in the Century for June, 18S8, we are 
warned against misjudging as to courage. Moral courage, not indiffer- 
ence to danger, is the highest form of courage. Two soldiers were 
charging up a hill with their regiment, in a desperate attempt to cap- 
ture a battery. " "When half way up, one of them turned to the other, 
and said, ' Why, you are as pale as a sheet. You look like a ghost. I 
believe you are afraid.' 'Yes, I am,' was the answer; 'and, if you 
were half as much afraid as I am. you'd have run long ago.' " 

"A locomotive engineer on an Eastern railroad, who was always 
selected for his nerve. ... and whose courage, repeatedly displayed in 
appalling accidents, was proverbial, was afraid in the quiet of his own 
home to go upstairs alone in the dark." 

One of the bravest officers in the Civil War, who had treated shot 
and shell with an indifference that had made him a marvel of courage, 
was in perpetual fear on a steamboat. Often the timid, who dread the 
smallest things, are far more courageous than those who physically have 
no thought of fear. 



Contagiousness of Courage. — Mr. Blaine in his Twenty Years in 
Congress, in a strikingly just characterization of General Grant, remarks 
that " courage is as contagious as fear," and adds that " General Grant 
possessed in the highest degree that faculty which is essential to all 
great commanders, the faculty of imparting throughout the rank and 
file of his army the same determination to win with which lie was him- 
self always inspired." But the field of war is not the only place where 
high degrees of the same faculty are needed. The ambassador of Christ, 
the preacher, the pastor — who needs courage, and the contagious, 
quality of courage, more than he ? And if he be completely true and 
loyal to his own Leader, how can he help having it ? — Congregationalist. 



Cork or Anchor. — The Apostles were not like a cork on the water, 
going up and down at each rise and fall of the waves ; but like an 
anchor holding in a firm ground beneath the waters against the strong- 
est wind and tide. 



The World Wants Men. 
4< The world wants men — large-hearted, manly men ; 
Men who shall join its chorus, and prolong 
The psalm of labor and the psalm of love. 
The age wants heroes — heroes who shall dare 
To struggle in the solid ranks of truth ; 
To clutch the monster error by the throat ; 
To bear opinion to a loftier seat ; 



IV: 13 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 103 

To blot the error of oppression out, ^ *b 

And lead a universal freedom in. 
And heaven wants souls — fresh and capacious 
souls, 

To taste its raptures, and expand, like flowers, 
Beneath the glory of its central sun. 
It wants fresh souls — not lean and shrivelled 
ones ; 

It wants fresh souls, my brother — give it thine, 
If thou indeed wilt be what scholars should ; 
If thou wilt be a hero, and wilt strive 
To help thy fellow and exalt thyself, 
Thy feet, at last, shall stand on jasper floors ; 
Thy heart, at last, shall seem a thousand hearts — 
Each single heart with myriad raptures filled — 
While thou shalt sit with princes and with kings, 
Rich in the jewel of a ransomed soul." 



A. ». 30. 

J une. 
JERUSALEM. 

Apostles 
Before the 
Sanhedrim. 
E fleet of 

Peter's 
Address. 



Courage Plus Love. — " The one virtue of boldness will never make 
you like Christ. There have been some who, by carrying their courage 
to excess, have been caricatures of Christ, and not portraits. Let cour- 
age be the brass ; let love be the gold. Let us mix the two together, so 
shall we produce a rich Corinthian metal, fit to be manufactured into 
the beautiful gate of the temple. The man who is bold may accomplish 
wonders. John Knox did much, but he might have done more if he 
had had a little more love. Luther was a conqueror — still, if while he 
had the fortiter in re he had been also suaviter in modo, he might have 
done even more good than he did. So, while we too are bold, let us ever 
imitate the loving Jesus." — Spurgeon. 



Unlearned and Ignorant. — Note how many of the greatest works 
in all departments, Literature, Eloquence, Invention, States- 
manship, Reform, Science, have been accomplished by men Training, 
who have not had a technical education. But it was not but Not in 
without education and severe training ; as these disciples the Schools, 
unlearned in the Jewish schools had been to school with 
Jesus for years, and under the training of the Holy Spirit. 



They Marveled. — Julias Caesar, one of the greatest warriors of any 
age, "notwithstanding his fiery energy and lightning-like swiftness of 



104 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IV:i 3 



thought and act, was of a rather fragile make, and an almost feminine 

delicacy of texture." His friend Cassius had once saved 

him from drowning in the Tiber, and bore him on his shoal- Julius 

ders, "as Eneas did from the flames of Troy the old Anchi- Caesar. 

ses bear." Cassius had seen him in a fever, when he 

groaned and cried, "Give me some drink, Titinius," like a sick girl. 

Cassius could not understand how this Caesar was so much greater than 

himself, how Caesar could bestride the narrow world like a Colossus, 

and exclaimed: — 

"It doth amaze me, 
A man of such a feeble temper should 
So get the start of the majestic world, 
And bear the palm alone." 

They Had Been With Jesus. 
" A Persian fable says : One day 
A wanderer found a lump of clay 
So redolent of sweet perfume 
Its odors scented all the room. 

* What art thou ? ' was his quick demand, 
' Art thou some gem from Samarcand, 
Or spikenard in this rude disguise, 

Or other costly merchandise?' 

' Nay : I am but a lump of clay.' 

' Then whence this wondrous perfume — say ! ' 

* Friend, if the secret I disclose, 

I have been dwelling with the rose..' 

Sweet parable ! and will not those 

Who love to dwell with Sharon's rose, 

Distil sweet odors all around, 

Though low and mean themselves are found? 

Dear Lord, abide with us that we 

May draw our perfume fresh from thee." 



Perfume from What We are With. — "Men carry unconscious 
signs of their life about them. Those that come from the forge, and 
those from the lime and mortar, and those from the humid soil, and 
those from dusty travel, bear signs of being workmen, and of their 
work. One need not ask a merry face or a sad one whether it hath 
come forth from joy or from grief. Tears and laughter tell their own 
story. Should one come home with fruit, we say, "Thoii art come 
from the orchard ;" if with hands full of wild flowers, " Thou art from 



IV: i 3 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



I05 



the fields; " if one's garments smell of mingled odors, 
we say, " Thou hast walked in a garden." But how 
much more, if one hath seen God, hath held converse 
of hope and love, and hath walked in heaven, should 
he carry in his eye, his words, and his perfumed 
raiment, the sacred tokens of Divine intercourse ! " — 
H. W. Beecher. 



A. ». 30. 

June. 
JERUSALEM. 

Apostles 
Refore tlie 
Sanhedrim. 
Eflect of 
Peter's 
Address. 



* 



Cromwell's Personal Power. — " Just when the 
battle was about to turn with the Ironsides, and the Cavaliers were 
coming on with one of Rupert's hot charges, ready to break the line, 
and the brave old Ironsides were half inclined to turn, up came the 
General, old Noll, riding on his horse, and they passed the word along, 
" 'Tis he, boys ! here he comes ! " and every man grew into a giant at 
once ; they stood like iron columns, like walls of granite, and the 
Cavaliers as they came on broke like waves against rocks, and dashed 
away, and were heard of no more. It was the presence of the man that 
fired each soldier. And so it is now with us. "We believe in Jesus Christ. 
We know that He is with His Church. He was dead, but rose again. 
He has gone to heaven, but His Spirit is with us, — King of kings and 
Lord of lords is He." — Mrs. Morrow. 



In many old chests and drawers perfumes are placed, so that the 
clothes placed in them will be saturated with delicate fragrance. 



"You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will, 
But the scent of the roses will hang round it still. " 



Rapp acini's Daughter. — In Hawthorne's Mosses from an Old Manse 
is a strange story called " RappacurTs Daughter." The father was a 
chemist who was investigating poisons, and had a charming garden, 
an Eden in which every plant and flower was poison. His beautiful 
daughter lived in this poison atmosphere till her own breath was 
poison, and the bees and insects which came within its influence fell 
withered and dead at her feet ; the bouquet of flowers she took in her 
hand began to fade and wither. Her lover who walked with her in 
the garden among the flowers, found after a time that the poisonous 
perfumes had filled his own being, and insects died in his breath. He 
could " quell the mightiest with his breath." 



Lotus in Muddy Water. — Yet there are around all many good 
influences, and each one chooses which path he will take, and to which 



io6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IV: 13 



influences he will yield. There are many saints in heaven, very near 
the throne, who came from the most unfavorable circumstances, like 
the lotus flowers of the Nile, always pure, even in the muddiest of 
waters. 



Shining of Moses' Face — When Moses came down from the Mount 
after talking for forty days with God, and receiving upon him the rays 
of His glory, that brightness abode upon him and he had need to veil 
his face in the presence of the children of Israel. So the Christian 
that talks often with God, and brings his heart into frequent conference 
with his Heavenly Father, will reflect God's glory and be changed into 
the same image ; and his spirit, and his words, and his deeds, will 
shadow forth the nature of that being with whom he holds communion. 



A Speck May Reflect the Sun. — We can never be exactly like 
Christ. There is a divineness and power and glory about Him which 
we can never equal, any more than a light-house lamp can equal the 
sun. But we can be lighted with the same flame, we can be touched 
with the same spirit, we can be illuminated with the same glory. 

As the merest speck of broken glass, or the smallest dewdrop, or scrap 
of tin may reflect the image of the sun and show that it abides in its 
rays ; so may we, weak, and unworthy, reflect the image of our Lord, 
and call the attention of the world not to our weakness, our un- 
worthiness, our sinfulness, but to the great center of our life, whose 
rays shine upon us and give us the brightness we have. 



Teaching a Canary to Sing. — A man taught a canary bird to sing 
" Home, Sweet Home " in this way. He placed the young canary in a 
room where it could not hear the singing of other birds, suspended its 
cage from the ceiling, so that it would see its reflection in a mirror, 
and beneath the mirror placed a musical box that was regulated to 
play no other tune but "Home, Sweet Home." Hearing no other 
song but this, the young canary soon began to try the notes, and finally 
got so that it sang the tune perfectly. So listen ye continually to the 
music of God's promises ; abide often and long within the sound 
of your Bible truths ; talk with Christians who have faith ; often 
gather together to talk about these things ; and you will find your 
sinful nature 

"Changed like the world's great scene, when without noise 
The rising sun night's vulgar light destroys." 

Library, Dr. Gordon's " How Christ Came to Church" Goethe's " Tale 
of Tales," especially as interpreted by Carlyle in his essays. 



IV: 14-17 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



107 



14. And beholding the mau which was healed standing with 
them, they could say nothing against it. 

15. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of 
the council, they conferred among themselves, 

16. Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed 
a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all 
them that dwell in Jerusalem ; and we cannot deny it. 

17. But that it spread no further among the people, let us 
straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 



A. ». 30. 

June. 
HALL OF 
THE SAN- 
HEDRIM. 

Secret 
Session. 



14. Do Nothing Against It. — There is a picture frontispiece in 
Wickliffe's Bible which was issued contrary to the commands of 
the church authorities. There is a fire burning and spreading 
rather rapidly, representing true Christianity. Around this spread- 
ing fire are congregated a number of significant individuals, all 
trying to devise methods whereby they can put the fire out. 
One with horns and tail represents Satan. Another is the Picture in 
pope with his red-coated cardinals, who forbade the pro- Wickliffe's 
mulgating of the Bible among the common people. Another Bible, 
represents infidelity. At length one suggests that they all 
make a united effort to blow on the fire till they blow it out. " The 
resolution is adopted, and there they are with swollen cheeks and 
extended lips, blowing upon the fire with all their might, but, instead of 
blowing it out, they are blowing it up, and they only blow themselves 
out of breath. The fire is inextinguishable." — From Richard Roberts, 
in the Biblical Illustrator. 



15. Conferred, o-vve'(3aX.ov, <rvv, and p&\\a>, to throw or bring together 
the various facts and reasons of the case ; or to bring together the opin- 
ions of the different members. 



17. That it Spread, Siavep/nOrf, from Sid, thoroughly, throughout, and 
ve'jxw, to spread over, to occupy as a country by an army. 



Stopping a Cannon Ball. — Arnot compares the conduct of the rulers 
in trying to stop the apostles from preaching Christ to some ignorant 
savages who thought to stop the ball from a cannon by ramming the 
mouth of the cannon full of stones and clay, which only increased its 
terrible power. 



Reference. — See under 5 : 40, and 8 : 1. The effects of persecution. 



io8 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS IV: l8, ig 



18. And they called thein, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in 
the name of Jesus. 

19. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the 
sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, jndge ye. 



Not to Speak — [ir\ ^)Qiy^i<rQai. " The verb denotes the utterance of a 
sound or voice, not only by man, but by any animal having lungs. 
Hence, not only of men's articulate cries, such as a battle-shout, but of 
the neigh of the horse, the scream of the eagle, the croak of the raven. 
It is also applied to sounds made by inanimate things, such as thunder, 
a trumpet, a lyre." — Vincent. 

Hence the command was that they make no noise about it at all. Not 
a sound, not a whisper. They should be completely silent. 



Cannot but Speak. — Mahomet, when his uncle, Abu Thaleb, pressed 
him to be silent, and not anger the chief people by his 
utterances, answered, that if the sun stood on his right hand Mahomet, 
and the moon on his left, ordering him to hold his peace, 
he could not obey. 



Gen. Henry Havelock, of the British army in India, was told in his 
early career when only a lieutenant, that his religion would prevent his 
rising, for the authorities did not believe one could be at the 
same time a saint and a soldier. He replied, "I humbly Havelock. 
trust that in that great matter I should not change my 
opinions and practices though it rained Garters and coronets as the 
reward of apostasy." 



Socrates, when condemned to death, said, " Athenians, I will obey 
God rather than you ; and if you would let me go, and give 
me my life on condition that I should no more teach my Socrates, 
fellow citizens, sooner than agree to your proposals, I would 
prefer to die a thousand times." — Plato, Apology, p. 23. 



Anvil and Hammer. — There is an old Huguenot device representing 
men around an anvil striking it with their hammers, and others hand- 
ing them new ones as fast as the ones used are broken on the anvil. 
Underneath is this legend: "Strike away, ye rebels ; your hammers 
may break, but the anvil of God's word endures." — John Cotton Smith. 
"Hammer away, ye hostile hands ! 

Your hammers break, God's anvil stands. " 



IV : 20-26 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



IO9 



20. For we cannot but speak, the things which we have seen 
and heard. 

21. So when they had further threatened them, they let them 
go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of 
the people; for all men glorified God for that which was done. 

22. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this 
miracle of healing was shewed. 

23. "[[ And being let go, they went to their own company, 
and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. 

24. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, 
and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven aud earth, and the sea, and 
all that in them is ; 

25. Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, 
and the people imagine vain things ? 

26. The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together 
against the Lord, and against His Christ. 



A. I>. 30. 

June. 
HALL OF 
THE SAN- 
HADRIM. 
Apostles 
discharged. 



"Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again; 
The eternal years of God are hers ; 
But Error, wounded, writhes in pain, 

And dies among his worshippers." — Bryant. 



20-21. Hugh Latimer and Henry Viii. — When Hugh Latimer had 
offended King Henry VIII. by a very plain-spoken sermon, and was 
commanded to make a recantation the following Sunday, he began as 
if in a soliloquy, " Hugh Latimer, dost thou know to whom thou art 
this day to speak ? to the high and mighty monarch, the king's most 
excellent majesty, that can take away thy life, if thou offend ; there- 
fore take heed how thou speak a word that may displease." Then, 
changing his tone, he continued, "Hugh, Hugh, dost thou know from 
whence thou comest, upon whose message thou art sent, and who it is 
that is present with thee, and beholdeth all thy ways? even the great 
and mighty God, who is able to cast both body and soul into hell for- 
ever ; therefore be sure that thy message is delivered faithfully." He 
then proceeded fearlessly to reprove the king's conduct even more 
plainly than before. 



25. Rage (l<j>pva|av). — Only here in New Testament. Originally, to 
neigh or snort like a horse. Of men, to give one's self haughty airs 
and to act and speak insolently. Philo describes a proud man as 
"walking on tiptoe, and bridling (<J>puaTT6jji€vos), with neck erect like a 
horse." — M. R. Vincent. 



no 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS IV : 20-26 



23. Went to Their Own Company. — The apostles returned to their 
own company, as a beautiful bird when let out of its cage 
returns, not to the birds of prey, but to its own kind, and its Homing 
own home. On this principle is based the pigeon-telegraph, Pigeons, 
by carrier pigeons. 

Reference, see on 1 : 25. 

The Family or Boarders. — " A friend of mine told me once, that 
when he went to a boarding-house he could always tell who the boarders 
were, for they never alluded to family matters, but sat down to the 
table, and talked of outside matters ; but when the son came, he would 
go into the sitting-room to see if there were letters, and inquire after 
the family, and show in many ways his interest in the household. It 
doesn't take five minutes to tell that he is not a boarder, and that the 
others are. And so it is with the Church of God. You see these boarders 
in church every Sunday morning, but they don't take any interest ; 
they come to criticise. And that is about all that constitutes a Christian 
nowadays. They are boarders in the house of God ; and we have got 
too many boarders. — D. L. Moody.''' 



Traveling Stones, — The Scientific American gives an account of 
some " traveling stones" that have been lately found in Nevada. They 
are described as almost perfectly round, about the size of a walnut, and 
of an irony nature. When placed on a floor or on any level surface, 
within two or three feet of each other, they begin traveling toward a 
common center, and remain there huddled up together. A single stone 
being removed to the distance of three and a-half feet, started off 
toward its fellows with wonderful celerity. The cause of this attraction 
in the stones is the material of which they are composed, which 
appears to be lodestone or magnetic iron ore. 



Crystallization. — "The crystallizing power in nature. What we call 
the force of gravitation is a force most mysterious and constant. But 
the force of gravitation is simple compared with this many-sided 
ramifying force of crystallization. The reason — ultimate particles of 
matter are seeking their own company ; these ultimate particles of 
matter are possessed of attractive and repellent poles ; and as these 
atomic poles attract or repel each other the shape of the crystal is 
determined. There is as well a certain crystallizing power sovereign in 
society. Men and women have attractive and repellent poles. By 
means of this social crystallizing power many and various social shapes 
are being formed — not always beautiful and noble, sometimes evil, 
ugly, disastrous. — Homiletic Review" 



IV: 20-26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



III 



Prayer Meeting in Hell. — ' ' It is related of the -*?« 

distinguished Rev. Dr. Bellamy that he had seasons 
of deep despondency, when he was certain he was 
going to hell. His brethren often labored with him in 
vain. One day, after all reasoning had failed, one 
of the ministers said: "Well, brother, you know 
more about yourself than we do. To us you appear 
very well ; but, after all, you may be a whited 
sepulchre — beautiful outside, but inwardly full of corruption. If so, 
you will go to hell. I should like, however, to know what you will do 
when you get there?" " Do?" cried the doctor, with great animation 
and emphasis: "what will I do? I will vindicate the law of God, 
and set up prayer-meetings." " All right ! " said the brother ; " but in 
that case the devil will not keep you there ; he will soon turn you out 
as unfitted for his place and company." The doctor was happy. Men 
will go at last where they are fit to go ; and those who spend their lives 
in the service of God would be poor company for the devil and his 
angels, while those who hate God and despise Christians here must have 
strange notions if they expect to be forever happy with them hereafter. 
The disciples, " being let go, went to their own company." So all will 
goat last. — J. L. Nye." 

A Test of Character. — Sometimes we are compelled to go where 
we do not love to go, and to remain in uncongenial company. Some- 
times we must go there for the sake of doing good. Those college 
graduates who have gone to live in the slums of New York and London, 
in order to teach and save the people there, are not to be judged by the 
company they thus keep; nor are missionaries, by the* heathen among 
whom they dwell. But whenever there is free choice, and we go where 
we delight to go, then our company tests cur character. We know that 
we belong to heaven when we love those whose lives and characters are 
heavenly. 

24. God Which Hast Made Heaven.— " The blind man is no judge of 
the paintings of Rubens or Titian. The deaf man is insensible to the 
beauty of Handel's music. The Greenlander can have but 
a faint notion of the climate of the tropics. The Australian God Beyond 
savage can form but a remote conception of a locomotive Conception, 
engine, however well you may describe it. There is no 
place in their minds to take in these things. They have no set of 
thoughts that can comprehend them. They have no mental fingers 
that can grasp them. And just in the same way the best and brightest 
ideas that man can form of God, compared to the reality that we shall 
see one day, are weak and faint indeed. — Ryle.'" 



A. ». 30. 

June. 
ROOM IN 
JERUSALEM. 
Report to 
the 
Church. 



112 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS IV : 27-30 



27. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast auointed, both 
Herod, and Pont'ius Pi' late, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gath- 
ered together, 

28. For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 

29. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings : and grant unto thy servants, that 
with all boldness they may speak thy word, 

30. By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be 
done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 



Greatness of God. — " It is good sometimes to think of the affluence 
of the Divine power. Take, e. g., the central object in the heavens 
which God has made : the sun — diameter 112 times that of our own 
earth ; surface, 12,611 times that of our earth ; volume. 1,400,000 times 
that of our earth. Sun's light — 800,000 times greater than that of the 
full moon, 22,000 million times more than that of the most brilliant 
star. The sun — the source of light, heat, life. And yet, all the 
manifold action on this earth of ours is carried on by the two thousand 
three hundred millionth part of the force radiation by the sun. For 
that is all the earth can grasp of the sun's rays given out in all 
directions. It is by this pitiable fraction of the sun's mighty power that 
all the earth's work is done. Now, God is a Sun — how limitless His 
power, etc. " — Wayland Hoyt, D. D. 



Library. — Ecce Ccelum. 



29. Behold Their Threatenings : — 

"Though the cause of Evil prosper, yet 'tis Truth alone is strong, 
And, albeit she wander outcast now, I see around her throng 
Troops of beautiful, tall angels, to enshield her from all wrong." 

— James Russell Lowell. 



The Weathercock. — Mr. Spurgeon saw on a country weather-cock 
what he thought was a strange motto, "God is Love," and asked his 
friend if he meant to imply that the divine love can be fickle as the wind. 
" No," said he, " this is what I mean — whichever way the wind blows, 
God is love ; through the cold north wind, the biting east wind, still 
God is love, as much as when the warm, genial breezes refresh our 
fields and flocks." God loves men so that he uses every possible means 
for their salvation. The greatest is his love in Jesus Christ. He sends 
joys and sorrows both, to bring us to our Saviour. 



" Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne ; 
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown, 
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own." 

— Lowell, Present Crisis. 



IV: 31-33 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



113 



31. 1" And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where 
they were assembled together; and they were all filled with 
the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. 

32. And the multitude of them that believed were of one 
heart and of one soul ; neither said any of them that aught of 
the things which he possessed was his own ; but they had all 
things common. 

33. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the 
resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon 
them all. 



A. D, 30, 

June. 
MEETING 
PLACE 
OF THE 
DISCIPLES. 

God's 
Answer. 



In Mr. Spurgeon's famous address, " Sermons in Candles," now 
published in book form ($1.00, American Tract Society), is an illustra 
tion (p. 165) of a burning candle, on which he sprinkles steel filings. 
"This candle has fallen 
upon evil times. I have 
a bottle here full of black 
material which is to fall 
upon the flame of this 
candle. When I tell you 
that this bottle contains 
a quantity of steel filings, 
you will at once prophesy 
that the light will be put 
out. Let us see what 
will happen. Why, well, 
instead of putting the 
candle out, I am making 
it disport itself as candle 
never did before. Here 
we have fireworks, which, 
if they do not rival those 
of the Crystal Palace, 
have a splendor of their 
own. Do you not think 
that often when Satan 
tries to throw dust upon 
a Christian by slander, 

he only makes him shine the brighter ? He was bright before ; now 
he coruscates. ... So may we turn the filings of steel into flashes 
of light." — Spurgeon. 




31. And When They Had Prayed. — One of Longfellow's poems is 
founded on an old legend that the city of Prague was once besieged by 
8 



ii4 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS IV:3I~33 



an army of evil spirits, but when the cathedral bell sounded 
the hour of prayer, the prayers of the saints were mightier 
than the evil spirits, and 

" Down the broad valley fast and far 
The troubled army fled." 

" I have read in the marvelous heart of man, 
That strange and mystic scroll, 

That an army of phantoms, vast and wan, 
Beleaguer the human soul. 

And when the solemn and deep church-bell 

Entreats the soul to pray, 
The midnight phantoms feel the spell, 

The shadows sweep away. 

Down the broad Vale of Tears afar 

The spectral camp is fled ; 
Faith shineth as a morning star ; 

Our ghastly fears are dead." — Longfellow. 



1 ' The memory of the day and the hour when I first placed reliance upon 
God's spirit is like the first time I trusted to the buoyancy of the water, 
after having bathed in it for two years without faith." — Dr. Bellows. 



With All Boldness. — Mr. Moody, in his Christian convention at 
Northfield, said : " We want more Christians like the Irish- 
man who, w T hen asked if he didn't tremble during a certain Legs 
storm when he was standing out upon a rocky eminence, Tremble, 
said, 'Yes, my legs trembled, but the rock didn't, and be- Rock Firm, 
cause my feet were on the rock I felt safe.'" — Biblical 
Illustrator. 



What we need is fire-proof principles, that no flames of opposition or 
persecution can harm. 



32. One Heart and One Soul. — " A church does not grow, like an 
icicle, by the littles that freeze to it. The frigid exhorta- 
tion of a crystallized church to the world to ' freeze to it ' Welded, 
was never yet responded to." "The fusion between the Not Frozen 
members of the church occurs under heat. Two pieces of Together, 
cold iron brought together are welded by the electric cur- 
rent." — Rev. Dr. Nutting. 



Legend 
of 

Prague. 



IV: 31-33 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



Unity. — Charles Reade, a member of the English 
Parliament, said that he had in his library an old book 

describing the vari- 




ous sects of religion, 
a book which be- 
longed to his grand- 
mother. On the fly 
leaf she had made a 
rude diagram like 
this, and underneath had written, 

" The nearer to Christ, the center 
the nearer to one another." 



A. D. 30. 

June. 
MEETING 
PLACE 
OF THE 
DISCIPLES. 
God's 
Answer. 



Illustrations of Unity. — It is 
the unity of the same spiritual life in 
all ; the unity of one great master and head for all ; the unity of 
love and sympathy ; the unity of aim and purpose ; the unity of one 
kingdom, with one law and Gospel ; one government under one In- 
visible King. It is thus unity with an infinite variety of manifestations. 

It is the unity of an army, — with one leader, loyal to one cause, but 
many departments and companies and organizations. It is the unity 
of nature, with one law and principle, but with an infinite variety of 
forms. It is the unity of an anthem, — several parts, many notes, 
many voices, an infinite variety of sound-waves ; but in perfect har- 
mony, under one leader, with one purpose. It is the unity of the 
body, — one soul, one person, one life ; but with a great variety of parts. 



Library, All Things Common. Lowell's Vision of Sir Launfal. 
" Not what we give, but what we share, — 
For the gift without the giver is bare ; 
Who gives himself with his alms, feeds three, 
Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me." 

Reference, see on 2:44. 



Christian Union. — " I remember a very interesting and thrilling con- 
secration meeting at the great Convention in Melbourne, Victoria, a 
year ago. They were arranged in this Convention not by districts as 
you are, but by denominations. They wished to emphasize this thing, 
that while they were loyal to their own denominations and their own 
Church they were in fellowship with all the others. So in the great 
Town Hall of Melbourne was this great throng. I can see them now in 
my mind's eye. They were arranged in denominations. In one gallery 



n6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IV: 31-33 



were the Baptists ; opposite to them the Congregationalists. In the 
back gallery the members of the Church of England (for there are a 
great many societies connected with the Church of England in this 
Colony of Victoria, and the president of the Victoria Union only 
recently was a rector of Melbourne.) Opposite to them were the Pres- 
byterians. Then in the seats in front some of the denominations not 
quite so large, the Bible Christians, the Primitive Methodists, the Free 
Methodists, and every other division of Methodism ; and behind, 1,300 
strong, were the Wesleyan Methodists, the leaders, in numbers, of 
Christian Endeavor. 

They gave their testimonies in denominations. The Presbyterians 
arose, and sang to an old Scotch tune, a Scotch version of the 25th 
Psalm, the members of the Church of England chanted the Te Deuvi. 
Then the Baptists arose and sang a song appropriate to them, and the 
Congregationalists sang their song. Then the denominations in front, 
and then the great body of Wesleyan Methodists in solid phalanx arose, 
and they sang one of Charles Wesley's hymns — the first, I believe, 
that he wrote after his conversion : — 

" Amazing grace, how sweet the sound." 

The first three verses they sang by themselves, and then came the 
fourth : — 

1 ' He breaks the power of reigning sin." 
Ah, that was too big a sentiment for one denomination ; the Baptist, 
and the Congregationalist, and the Presbyterian, the Church of Eng- 
land, and all the other denominations were soon singing : — 
" He breaks the power of reigning sin, 
He sets the captive free ; 
His blood can make the vilest clean ; 
His blood atoned for me." 
Ah, friends, when we come to this matter of personal experience, 
when we sing these songs that deal with our love for Christ, and His 
cleansing blood, then we all join together. The song is too big for one 
denomination ; we must all take part, and none should be willing to be 
left out. 

So let us thank God we can sing the same song, that we can have the 
same fellowship, the same glorious enthusiasm, that we do the same 
work in the same ways, that we have the same battle to tight, and will 
have the same victory one day, and by His good grace we may enter 
the same heaven in the end. May God bless you all ! " — Rev. F. E. 
Clark, D. D. in an address at London C. E. convention. 



33. And Great Grace, x*P l s- 1 'From the same root as x ai P w > to rejoice. 
I. Primarily that which gives joy or pleasure; and hence outward 



IV: 34-37 THE ACT S OF THE APOSTLES 117 

* * 

34. Neither was there any among them lacked: for as many 
as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought 
the prices of the things that were sold, 

35. And laid them down at the apostles' feet : and distribution 
was made unto every man according as he had need. 

36. And Jo'ses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, 

(which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Le'vlte, . 4" -i> 

and of the country of Cy prus, 

37. Having laud, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. 



beauty, loveliness, something which delights the beholder. Thus 
Homer, of Ulysses going to the assembly : "Athens shed down manly 
grace or beauty upon him " (" Odyssey," ii., 12). II. As a beautiful or 
agreeable sentiment felt and expressed toward another ; kindness, favor, 
good-will. 2 Cor. viii. 6, 7, 9 ; ix. 8 ; Luke i. BO ; ii. 40 ; Acts ii. 47. 
III. The substantial expression of good-ivill ; a boon, a favor, a gift ; 
but not in New Testament." — Vincent's Word Studies. 

The word here means God's freely bestowed favor, beautiful, delight 
ful, and producing in the disciples the graces of the Christian life, "the 
beauty of holiness." 



34. None that Lacked. — "Wherever this Bible was opened and 
men could read it, there went along with it the overthrow of the aris- 
tocracy and the substitution of the reign of the common people. The 
old saying was that the majority of men were born into the world sad- 
dled and bridled to be ridden, and the few were born booted and 
spurred to ride. That is no longer recognized as true in democratic 
America, or in democratic England, or in democratic France, 
or in Germany, or even in Italy. The divine right of kings 
abolished, and the divine right of the people taking its 
place, there has come a broader education. Are we 
wiser than our fathers ? You will not find in any Effects of 
university to-day a prof ounder thinker than Plato. It will Chris- 
not be claimed that the modern playwright surpasses tianity 
Shakespeare. And the writers of our newspaper poetry in Ele- 
are hardly equal to Milton or Dante. But Plato had his vating 
little band of scholars around him in a garden : to-day the the Poor, 
philosophy of Plato is taught in a hundred universities and 
colleges. There were but a few that could understand Shakespeare, 
and they but imperfectly ; to-day Shakespeare is to be found alongside 
the Bible in every family. There are thousands to-day that enjoy him 
where there was one that enjoyed him in his lifetime. The public 
press has made education universal ; not prof ounder, but broader. 



A. D. 30-36. 

JERUSALEM. 
Generosity 
of the 
Church. 
Barnabas, 



u8 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS IV : 34-37 



And wealth also is more diffused. I have read "Progress and 
Poverty," but I have also read the pictures of the condition of the 
workingmen in the seventeenth century, and I have been in the houses 
of the workingmen of the nineteenth century. There never was a time 
in the history of the world when wealth was as widely diffused as it is 
to-day, when there was as much opportunity, as much largeness of 
life. I know that Mr. Vanderbilt is said to possess two hundred and 
fifty millions of dollars. What does he do with it? He does not dig a 
hole and bury it in the ground. He does not spend it in clothes which 
moth and rust corrupt, nor hide it where thieves break through and 
steal. He builds railroads, and he is not the only man who rides on 
them. What does two hundred and fifty million dollars in the hands 
of Cornelius Vanderbilt mean? It means this : one man administering 
the highways of the nation, of which the nation takes the benefit. He 
rides in his private car, and I in a common car ; but we get to the 
journey's end at the same time. The fastest train on the continent is 
one not all of Pullman cars — the train that runs from New York to 
Buffalo. It is a fair question whether the nation should allow its high- 
ways to pass into the control of private men at any price. It is a fair 
question whether the nation does not pay too much to the men who 
administer its highways. These questions I pass by to-night. What I 
want you to see to-night is this : that railroad wealth and mining 
wealth and manufacturing wealth are diffused wealth. No man can 
run a cotton-mill or a woolen-mill and make money out of it without 
helping a thousand men. Society has been revolutionized in this 
respect, and there is no honest way by which a man can acquire wealth 
for himself without conferring it on his neighbor. He may be grasp- 
ing, corrupt, avaricious, unjust, but he cannot well acquire wealth for 
himself without conferring it on his poorer neighbor. He must whether 
he will or not. Some people serve God because they like to, and some 
people serve Him because they cannot help it." — Lyman Abbott, D.D., 
in Christ and the Social Order. 



36. The Son of Consolation. — " Who is the man who, in his bereave- 
ment or pain, receiving comfort from God, radiates it, so that the 
world is richer by the help the Lord has given him? It is the 
reverent, the unselfish, and the humble man. The 
sunlight falls upon a clod, and the clod drinks it in, is Rays on 
warmed by it itself, but lies as black as ever, and sheds no a Clod or 
light. But the sun touches a diamond, and the diamond onaDia- 
almost chills itself as it sends out in radiance on every side mond. 
the light that has fallen on it. So God helps one man bear 
his pain, and nobody but that one man is the whit the richer. God comes 
to another sufferer, reverent, unselfish, humble, and the lame leap, 



IV : 34-37 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



and the dumb speak, and the wretched are comforted <i> 

all around by the radiated comfort of that happy 
soul. — Bib. Illustrator." 



Possess by Giving. — "To possess consolation is to 
give it ; not to give it is not to possess it. The more of 
it you have, the more you may give ; and the more ^ ^ 
you give to others, the more you retain for your own use. This circle, 
when it is set a-going, moves perpetually, like the sea giving out its 
waters to the sky, and the sky sending back the boon by rain and the 
rivers to the sea again." — Wm. Arnot. 



37. Brought the Money, etc. — '* ' God loveth a cheerful giver,' 
2 Cor. 9:71. Have you studied the precise import of the word trans- 
lated ' cheerful ' ? It came to me with wonderful force a few days since 
as I was reading my Greek Testament. The word is hilar on. There 
is no mistaking its import. God loves a whole-souled 
' hilarious ' giver — one who is not ashamed of the cause Hilarious 
for which he gives — one who, with a strong, buoyant, Giving, 
joyous confidence in the cause, in the men who are work- 
ing with him for it, and, above all, in the God who directs the work, 
gives freely, heartily, and with a swing. To the sense of duty from 
the law of Christian service, shall we not, by God's help, add this 
crowning grace of spontaneous, hearty, hilarious Christian giving of 
time and money for the cause of our Master." — Pres. M. E. Gates. 



Giving. — "A St. Louis clergyman " is credited with recently putting 
an old truth in this striking way : " If a man is thoroughly a Chris- 
tian, the nerve that runs from his brain to his wallet will be just as 
much Christianized as the one that runs from his brain to his tongue." 



A. D. 30-36. 

JERUSALEM. 
Generosity 
of the 
Church. 
Barnabas. 



120 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



V:i, 2 



CHAPTER V. 



1. But a certain man named Anani'as, with Sapphi'ra his wife, 
sold a possession, 

2. And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy 
to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' 
feet. 



Why this Story is Recorded. — Because it is true. The Gospels 
are a record of truth. If they should falsify by concealing a disagree- 
able fact, we could not trust them where we most needed certainty. 
There is not only a warning, but also a ray of hope and consolation 
from this story. For if the early church had been pictured as a pure 
angelic company, without spot or stain, we in later days would find 
only despair in the vision. But if our Lord had a Judas among his 
disciples, and yet Pentecost followed for the rest ; if the early Church 
had an Ananias and Sapphira, and yet went on multiplying and con- 
quering, we too can labor on in hope and assurance although a Judas 
and an Ananias may be numbered among modern disciples. 



Judging by Weeds. — It is never wise to measure the good of any 
cause by the weeds. To do so is to make Sahara better than the finest 
garden in the world. 



Signboards of Warning. — Christian and Hopeful, in Pilgrim's 
Progress, put up a signboard over the way that led to Giant Despair's 
Castle, from which they had just escaped, warning men not to go that 
way. 



Lighthouses. — " Barnabas is alight at the pier-head, streaming out- 
ward through the night, marking for the mariner the way of life ; 
Ananias, dying with a lie on his lips, buoys a rock where many have 
perished and warns the wayfarer from the place of doom. Though the 
two men are not alike good, both examples are for us alike useful." — 
Arnot. 



A.D. 30-36. 

JERUSALEM. 
Ananias 

and 
Sapphira. 



" Where there is light, there will also be shadow; where God builds a 
church, the devil builds a chapel by its side." — H. Rieger. 



V: I, 2 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



121 



Snails, after a Shower. — " After a refreshing »J- * 

shower which has made all the flowers to smile till 
the teardrops of joy stand in their eyes, you will see 
your garden-paths spotted over with slugs and snails. 
These creatures lay concealed till the genial rain 
called them forth to make their slimy way towards 
whatsoever they might devour. After this fashion revivals, of necessity, 
develop hypocrites ; yet who would deplore the shower because of the 
snails, and who would rail at " times of refreshing" because mere 
pretenders are excited to make a base profession of a grace to which 
they are strangers ? " — C. H. Sjmrgeon. 



The rain that refreshes the flowers, wakens also the weeds. 



Concealed Snakes. — " Stanley makes a note of the fact that while 
traveling in the Dark Forest in Africa he did not see many snakes. 
But when he stopped for a few weeks' rest, he determined to clear up 
a plot of land and plant it in corn. He says when they commenced to 
clear the land they found snakes everywhere. Snakes under the logs, 
rocks, leaves, up in the bushes, and down in the earth. The land was 
cleared, the snakes killed, the corn planted, and in a few weeks they 
had fine roasting ears." 



Chaff with the Wheat. — Among the best of earthly wheat there 
will be some chaff ; in the best books are some mistakes ; in the best 
kept gardens, some weeds ; among the holy apostles, one Judas. 



Counterfeits. — Shall we never use money because some have 
counterfeited it? If the sun be eclipsed one day it attracts more 
attention than by its clear shining for many years. Satan seeks to 
blind the eyes of worldly men by dust from the soiled garments of 
Christians. 



Roses Falling on Demons. — Ananias grew bad, and remained bad 
under the best of influence as Judas grew worse under the example and 
training of Jesus. In Retsch's illustrations of Goethe's Faust, there is 
one plate where angels are dropping roses upon the demons who are 
contending for Faust's soul, and every rose falls like molten metal, 
burning and blistering wherever it touches. 



A. D. 30-36. 

JERUSALEM. 
Ananias 
and 
Sapphira. 



Ice in the Hot Crucible. — It is said that ice can be made in a red 
hot crucible, and that no half- melted hail stone, but the hardest of ice. 



122 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



3. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy 
Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 



A pastor once said during a revival, that his church was a mountain of 
ice in a sea of fire So were Ananias and Sapphira amid the fervid 
religion of these disciples. 

Judging the Church by Its Worst Members. — Spurgeon tells this 
story : "An American gentleman said to a friend, ' I wish you would 
come down to my garden, and taste my apples ' He asked 
him about a dozen times, but the friend did not come ; and The Apple 
at last the fruit grower said, ' I suppose you think my apples Orchard, 
are good for nothing, so you won't come and try them.' 
' "Well, to tell the truth,' said the friend, 'I have tasted them. As I went 
along the road, I picked one up that fell over the wall, and I never tasted 
anything so sour in all my life ; and I do not particularly wish to have 
any more of your fruit.' — ' Oh, said the owner of the garden, ' I thought 
it must be so. Those apples around the outside are for the special 
benefit of the boys. I went fifty miles to select the sourest sorts to 
plant all round the orchard, so the boys might give them up as not 
worth stealing ; but, if you will come inside, you will find that we grow 
a very different quality there, sweet as honey.' " Those who judge the 
church by its worst members, those most like the world, make the same 
mistake. 



Plato on Esculapius. — The fact of his covetousness proves that 
Ananias was not a true Christian. Plato says that Pindar and the 
tragedy-writers say that Esculapius was the son of Apollo, and also that 
he was induced by gold to undertake the cure of a rich man already in 
a dying state, for which he was struck by a thunderbolt. But Socrates 
says that he will not believe both statements, but " assert that were he 
really a god's son, he would not have been given to filthy lucre — 
or else, if he were given to filthy lucre, he was not a god's son." — 
Republic, 3:16. 

3. But Peter Said. — While I am writing this (1896), there has just 
come into notice a new series of experiments by which the 
hidden things within the body can be photographed ; giving Peter's 
a faint illustration of how Peter by the Spirit saw what Insight, 
was in the heart of Ananias. 



The Roentgen Rays. — "The year 1896 is made notable by the 
discovery by a German physician, Dr. Roentgen, of strange prop- 
erties of a new sort of ether waves analogous to light, which 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



123 



will pass without obstruction through many metals, "I* <i> 

and through flesh, just as ordinary light passes through 
glass or water. The first announcement was of its 
use in photographing the bones of the living body, 
showing the skeleton, and thus indicating its great 
probable usefulness for medical and surgical diagnoses. ^ ^ 
A photograph will very likely tell a surgeon just what internal parts are 
diseased, and will save all exploration with the knife. It would have 
located the bullet that killed President Garfield, which the probe could 
not find." 

These wonderful rays, passed through boards, celluloid, human 
flesh, aluminum, etc. , and yet act chemically upon bromide of silver, so 
that we are able to secure well-defined photographs." — Edison. 

"The rays are called the Kath'ode rays — from a Greek compound 
meaning the way down. By them Prof. Cox of Montreal was enabled 
to see the bullet lodged in the flesh of a man shot last Christmas. The 
following dispatch was cabled from Berlin : 

"Berlin, Feb. 11. — The first Berliner to benefit by the wonderful 
discovery of Dr. Roentgen was a poor young seamstress, who 
swallowed a needle last week. Every day of her existence since has 
been one of agony. Her physicians despaired of her case, as the poor 
woman could not retain the lightest food on her stomach. Since 
Saturday morning she has grown steadily worse. 

The physician called an eminent surgeon of the university staff in 
consultation, who did not believe that her life could be saved. 

It was determined as a last resort to take the patient to the Roentgen 
laboratory in the hope that the X-ray would locate the 
needle, and that the same might be extracted without Seeing 
endangering the young woman's life. To the great joy of Through 
all interested, the experiment at the laboratory proved a Flesh and 
brilliant success. The plate plainly showed every bone Metal, 
of the upper part of the body, and the needle was found 
lying point downward in the lower right angle of the stomach. Sur- 
geons being present, the needle was immediately removed. The 
patient is doing well, and is pronounced entirely out of danger." 

Prof. A. W. Wright, of Yale, found that English walnuts showed 
distinctly in the picture the kernels surrounded by the transparent shell 
An ink-eraser with rosewood handle showed the shaft of the blade dis- 
tinctly through the wood. The plate upon which the objects were 
disclosed was covered with a half -inch pine board. 



Library. — In the Expositor for August, 1891, is an article by Rev. 
Alexander B. Grosart, D. D., LL. D., on the Lost or Latent Powers of the 
Five Senses, illustrating Elisha's power of seeing and knowing things 



A.B. 30-38. 

JERUSALEM. 
Ananias 

and 
Sappliira. 



124 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



faraway, and the unseen (to common eyes) "horses and chariots of 

fire," defending him from the enemy (2 Kings 6:8-17) and 

the holding and opening the eyes of the Emmaus disciples Seeing 

(Luke 24: 13-35). He knew among many others of Miss the 

A. B., who just before her death " cried out in a rapture of Unseen. 

joy, ' O my Saviour, I am coming,' and wondered that 

others did not see him as clearly as she did." Dr John MacFarlane's 

Night Lamp tells as striking a thing of his dying sister Agnes. 



Satan Filled Thine Heart. — " How different were Ananias, whose 
heart was filled with Satan, and Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost." — 
Bp. Warren. Each spirit excludes the other. 



Temptation Welcomed. — " Satan had gone in at the open door, and 
then the man had welcomed the temptation, and laid it in the secret 
innermost of his being. Ananias tempted the Devil, and then the 
Devil tempted Ananias, and he yielded. Satan in the second place, 
but the man in the first and third. It is a sketch-map of the whole 
country (of Temptation)." — Maclaren. 



Library. — Rogers, in his Greyson Letters, gives an account of a 
semi -madman, who professed to be w r ell acquainted with 
Satan. One thing he said was : " They say the De'il is Dallying 
very busy in tempting men ; but he maun hae an easy time with 
o't, I'm thinking. All of them meet him more than half Tempta- 
way. Ilk ane seems to gang to him, and say, ' Hae nae ye tion. 
some dainty temptation for me to-day now, Daddie Satan ? 
I'm sair wracked for a coaxing temptation.' " 



The Imp Under the Scale at Notre Dame — Some writer, unknown 
to me, says : " I remember standing in front of the Cathedral of Notre 
Dame, in Paris, adoiiring its beautiful statuary. As I did so, a Parisian 
approached me and said, ' Do you not see something amusing up 
there?' 'No,' I said, 'it seems to be all religious.' Inwardly I was 
asking myself, ' Is this an Atheist, or is he making a fool of me?' 'Do 
you see those figures?' he inquired, pointing to a group representing a 
soul being weighed to see if it should be found wanting. ' You observe 
that there is an angel standing on the one side and Satan on the other. 
Satan seems as if he were just watching to see that there was fair play.' 
' Yes,' I answered, ' but I fail to see anything amusing in that.' ' Just 
look under the scales ! ' he replied. I looked, and there underneath 
was a little imp holding up the scale. That is the way Satan gives fair 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



125 



play. A man says, ' I will reform. I'll mend my life. HE 
I'll give up drink.' 'All right,' says Satan, and he 
seems to stand aside, and give you fair play. Do not 
trust him. He has some unseen imp against you. If 
it be not strong drink, it will be some other sin." In 
the case of Ananias it was the love of money. 



A. D. 30-36. 

JERUSALEM. 
Ananias 

and 
Sapphira. 



Stumbling Over the Stairway to Glory. — The fact of temptation is 
no excuse for the sin. The sin was their own. It was their business to 
resist temptation and overcome it, and grow strong thereby. It was 
the battle that made victory possible. It was the Hill Difficulty, by 
which alone they could climb to wider and more glorious vision. They 
stumbled over the very stairway to glory. 



The Test of Gyges' Ring. —Plato, in his Republic (Bk. 2, ch. 3), 
uses as an illustration the story of Gyges' Ring to show what is the real 
test of goodness. Ananias committed a sin because he thought he 
would not be found out. But what one will do under such circum- 
stances is the test of virtue whether it be real or not. Plato's story is 
that a certain Lydian shepherd (about B. C. 600) found in some strange 
way a gold ring. Coming with this ring on his finger into the meeting 
of the shepherds making their monthly report of their flock to the 
king, " he happened to turn the stone of the ring towards himself into 
the inner part of his hand ; and when this was done he became invisible 
to those who sat beside him, and they talked of him as absent ; and 
astonished at this he again handled his ring, turned the stone outward, 
and on turning it, became visible." He made trial of this several 
times, and found that it always had the same power. Using this 
power of invisibility, he entered the palace, slew the king, and took 
possession of the kingdom. Such a ring would be a test of the 
righteousness of men. A truly just man would be just even when no 
one would know his wrongs if he committed them. The man that was 
only seemingly and outwardly just, would commit crimes if he could 
do it without discovery. 



To Lie. — "To love truth for truth's sake is the principal part of 
human perfection in this world and the seed plot of all other virtues." 
— Locke. 

" But if a word could save me, and that word 
Were not the Truth ; nay, if it did but swerve 
A hair's breadth from the Truth, I would not say it." — Longfelloiv. 



126 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



"The Truth cannot be burned, beheaded, or crucified. A lie on the 
throne is a lie still, and truth in a dungeon is truth still ; and the lie on 
the throne is on the way to defeat, and the truth in the dungeon is on 
the way to victory." — M'Kinley. 



Keep Back Part of the Price. — Men often fail now of becoming 
Christians, because they are guilty of this bringing " a part of the price." 
They will obey some of God's laws, they will do some of his good works, 
they will avoid some sins, but not all. They bring a part of the price, 
and ask God to accept it as the whole. Seeming disciples 
are hindered in their progress in the same way. They are One Sin 
only partly consecrated, they save something out for them- Holding 
selves, they will do every duty but one, they will give up Us Back, 
everything except some special reserve. They are like 
the sailors who went ashore at Portland, before the days of strict pro- 
hibition, and having drunk heavily, undertook to row back to the ship, 
but rowed all night and made no progress. One rope was still fastened 
to the wharf. 



A Part Unrenewed. — "I had moved into a new house ; and, in look- 
ing over it, I noticed a very clean-looking cask, headed up at both ends. 
I debated with myself whether I should have it taken out of the cellar 
and opened to see what was in it, but concluded, as it looked empty and 
nice, to leave it undisturbed, especially as it would be quite a piece of 
work to get it up stairs. I did not feel quite easy. Every spring and 
fall I would remember that cask with a little twinge of conscience, from 
the thought of a house not perfectly cleaned while it remained unop- 
ened, for how could I know but under its fair exterior it contained 
some hidden evil? For two or three years the innocent-looking cask 
stood quietly in my cellar ; then most unaccountably moths 
began to fill the house. I used every precaution against Moths in a 
them in vain. They increased rapidly, and threatened to Cask in a 
ruin everything I had. I suspected carpets, and had them Cellar, 
cleaned. I suspected my furniture, and had it. newly 
upholstered. At last the thought of the cask flashed upon me. It 
was brought up, its head was knocked in, and thousands of moth 
poured out. The previous occupant of the house must have headed 
it up with something in it that bred moths, and this was the cause 
of all the trouble. Now, I believe that, in the same way, some inno- 
cent-looking habit or indulgence, about which we now and then have 
little twinges of conscience, lies at the root of most of the failure in this 
higher life." — The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life. 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



127 



4. While it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was 
sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived 
this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but 
unto God. 



A. I). 30-36. 

JERUSALEM. 
Ananias 

and 
Sapphira. 



4. Was it not Thine Own? — The temptation to sin 
does not depend on the amount of property, be it less or more. Dr 0 
Trumbull says : "Adam and Eve had everything in the world except a 
single tree ; and they gave themselves up to Satan in order 
to get that one tree. He who supposes that the possession Tempta- 
of property would put him above temptation fails to read tion of 
aright all the lessons of history." Glory McWhirk, who Plenty, 
saw so many good times in which she had no part, said 
"that any one could be good who had $5,000 a year," but she was 
mistaken. She would get rid of one class of temptations, only to fall 
into another. If she escaped Scylla, she would fall into Charybdis. 



The Covetous Man. — " The covetous man pines in plenty, like Tanta- 
lus, up to the chin in water and yet thirsty. Like the chemist, he turns 
everything into silver — what he should wear, and what he should eat 
— and so robs back and belly of warmth, of sustenance. The covetous 
gives more heed to the priests of Janus than to the apostles of Jesus ; 
his looks on those entering are like Diana's image in Chios, which 
frowned with a lowering countenance on all that came into the temple, 
but looked blithe and smiled on them that departed. As the dog in 
.iEsop's fable lost the real flesh from the shadow of it, so the covetous 
man casts away the true riches for the love of the shadowy." — Dr. Wise. 



Hard Work to Give. —Some "are prodigal in their prayers and 
hymns and exhortations, but close-handed with their money. Like the 
tree in the ancient legend, which uttered a moan and bled whenever a 
twig was broken off, they writhe when forced to give for the glory of 
God and the salvation of men." — Monday Club Sermons. 



The Scotsman's Dream. — "A prosperous member of a church in 
Scotland was often besought by his pastor to give to the work of evan- 
gelizing the poor in Glasgow, but would always reply, ' Na, I need it 
for mysel'.' One night he dreamed that he was at the gate of heaven, 
which was only a few inches ajar. He tried to get in, but could not, 
and was in agony at his poor prospect. The face of his minister 
appeared, who said : ' Sandy, why stand ye glowering there ? why 
don't ye gae in ? ' — 'I can't ; T am too large, and my pocketbook sticks 
out whichever way I turn.' — ■ Sandy, think how mean you have been to 



128 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



the Lord's poor and ye will be small enough to go through the eye of a 
needle.' He awoke and began to reduce both his pocketbook and his 
carnality by giving to Christ's cause." — The Christian. 

Henry Ward Beecher once said that not the love of Money but the 
Love of money was "a root of all evil." It depends on where the 
emphasis lies. 

Lied Unto God. — Christ compares hypocrites to wolves in sheep's 
clothing ; sepulchres adorned above, but full of corruption ; to dishes 
cleansed without, but foul within. St. Jude likens them to clouds 
without water. William Seeker says that hypocrites resem- 
ble looking-glasses which present the faces which are not in Hypocrisy, 
them. How desirous are men to put the fairest gloves 
upon the foulest hands, and the finest paint upon the rottenest posts ; 
Hypocrites are like counterfeit coin ; a curious cloth on a dusty table , 
a sailor in a leaky ship ; a lamp without a light. 



Hypocrisy is Likened to apples of Sodom, — fair without, but dust 
within ; to the volcano iEtna, — flaming at the mouth, but snow 
and ice at the foot ; to a beautiful wood, with poisonous serpents 
within ; to stores, pretending to be closed on Sundays, but with the 
back-doors open for customers ; to gilded jewelry ; to the box-tree, that 
bears no fruit, though its leaves are always green. 



The Hypocrite is like a watch which is so badly made that it stands 
or goes wrong from its very nature, and the only cure is to give it a 
new inside. — Salter. A hypocrite is the picture of a saint ; but his 
paint shall be washed off, and he shall appear in his own colors. — 
Mason. 



Hypocrisy Comparisons. — 1. " Some hypocrites and mortified men 
that held down their heads like bulrushes, were like the little images 
that they place in the very bowing of the vaults of churches, that look as 
if they held up the church, but are but puppets." — Bacon. 2. " When a 
man puts on a character he is stranger to, there's as much difference 
between what he appears, and what he is really in himself, as there is 
between a vizor and a face." — La Bruyere. 3. ' ' Saint abroad and devil 
at home." — Bunyan. 4. " He stole the livery of the court of heaven to 
serve the devil in." — Pollock. 5. " He was all false and hollow though 
his tongue dropped manna " — Milton. 6. "A black heart forged in a 
cold fire." 



Scripture Emblems of Hypocrites. — Graves overgrown with grass 
(Luke 11 : 44). Potsherds covered with silver dross (Prov. 26:23). 



V:5~IO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 1 29 



5. And Anani'as hearing these words fell down, and gave up 
the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these 
things. 

6. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him 
out, and buried him. 

7. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing 
what was done, came in. 

8. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? 
And she said. Yea for so much 

9. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the 
Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy nusband are 
at the door, and shall carry thee out. 

10. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost : and 
the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her 
by her husband. 



Tares, that look like wheat (Matt. 13 : 38). Wolves in sheep's clothing 
(Matt. 7 : 15). Wells without water (2 Pet.2 : 17). Clouds without water 
(Jude 12). A cloak to cover sin (1 Thes. 2 : 5). 



The Lie Ineffaceable. — A boy was asked if he would tell a lie for 
a dollar? No. For a thousand dollars? He hesitated, then said no. 
Why ? Because after the thousand dollars was spent, the lie would 
still remain. 



8. Sidney on Lying. — When the immortal Sidney was told that he 
might save his life by telling a falsehood by denying his handwriting, 
he answered, " When God hath brought me into a dilemma, in which I 
must assert a lie, or lose my life, he gives me a clear indication of my 
duty ; which is to prefer death to falsehood." 



Hypocrite. — Derivation of the Word. — Hypocrite is etymolog- 
ically an Actor, who plays the part of a hero, a king, a nobleman, and 
in dress and speech represents them, while he is really an entirely 
different person, however worthy and great he may be. The ancient 
actors used to play in masks, which made the word a still more perfect 
metaphor for a hyppcrite. 



Library. — "The veiled Prophet of Khorassan" in Moore's Lalla 
Rookh when he took off his silver veil before his victim, Zelica, in a 
charnel house, and showed his distorted and hideous features, — ex- 
claimed, — 

"Here judge if hell with all its power to damn 
Can add one curse to the vile thing I am." 
9 



* 

A.D. 30-36. 

JERUSALEM, 
Sapphira. 



130 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



V:5-io 



Compare Virgil's " Monstrum horrendum, informe ingens cui lumen 
ademptum." 



5. Gave up the ghost, IfjeSJ/uf-e, breathed out his life. 
Picture. — The death of Ananias, by Raphael, cartoon in So. Kensing- 
ton. 



5. Ananias Gave up the Ghost. — ' ' Those who are familiar with the 
remarkable career of the Wesley brothers will recall more than one 
instance of supernatural visitations of judgment. For example, 
during Charles Wesley's revival meetings at St. Just, in Cornwall, 
England, a country squire, Eustick by name, drove a pack of hounds 
among the congregation in order to break up the meeting and drive 
the attendants away — a mode of annoyance not infre- 
quent in those days. On this occasion a number of the Experience 
Lord's people withdrew and took refuge in a spacious kitchen. of the 
The prayer-meeting held there was of such extraordinary Wesleys. 
power as to surpass any other that those who were pres- 
ent had known. And as the service closed, Mr. Wesley, as if endowed 
with prophetic vision, arose and said, with an awful solemnity and 
deliberation, ' The man who has this day troubled you shall trouble 
you no more forever.' Shortly afterward Eustick passed to his 
last account in a state of raving madness." — A. T. Pierson, D. D. 

Library. — Dr. Pierson in this connection refers to the life of Mrs. 
Booth, I, 462. See also Acts of the Holy Spirit, p. 453-55 



Testimony op Dr. Gordon. — " Dr. A. J. Gordon, late of Boston, a 
man specially filled with the Spirit, used to give startling examples, 
known to him, where individuals and whole churches which had 
resisted the Holy Spirit were visited by remarkable judgments. God 
the Holy Ghost may be silent and apparently indifferent, but God is 
not dead." — A. T. Pierson. 



Sacking of Luna. — The avenger of sin is often concealed within the 
form of the sin itself. The sin is like the wooden horse full of 
armed enemies, which the Trojans brought within their city walls. 
So the city of Luna was sacked and destroyed by a Norse robber, 
Hastings, who feigned repentance, was baptized, and afterwards, 
apparently dead, was brought into the city to the cathedral in his coffin ; 
but during the funeral services he arose from his coffin a full-armed 
soldier, and smote bishops and priests, let in his comrades, and set fire 
to the city. (See Milman's Latin Christianity.) 



V:5-I0 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



A. D. 30-36 

JERUSALEM. 
Sapphira. 



Midas. — Midas, the King of Phrygia, when the 
gods promised him any thing he would ask, prayed 
that everything he touched might be turned into 
gold. But no greater curse could have befallen him. 
He soon tired of turning rocks and trees to gold, and, 
becoming hungry, would eat, but the food turned to gold before it 
reached his mouth. He kissed his child, and she became a statue of 
gold. He could only pray that the gold touch be removed. 

Library. — The story is best told in Hawthorne's Wonder Book, or 
classic stories told to children. 



Play Actors in Flames. — Plutarch in his Moralia speaks of " chil- 
dren, who, often seeing in the theatres malefactors in gold-embroidered 
tunics and purple mantles, crowned and dancing, admire and applaud 
them as happy beings, until they appear on the stage goaded . and 
scourged, and with fire streaming from their gayly wrought apparel." 
Such spectacles were often exhibited in ancient Rome ; the victims, 
having acted for a brief time on the stage as kings and heroes, in rich 
dresses that were saturated with inflammable material, were burned 
alive on the stage in the sight of acftniring and applauding multitudes. 

Library. — See Dr. A. P. Peabody's small annotated edition of 
Plutarch's Delay of Divine Justice, p. 25. 



Library. — Illustrations can be drawn from the man in the Arabian 
Nights' tale of the Forty Thieves, who, entering into their treasure- 
house, forgot the magic " open sesame" by which the door would open, 
and perished in the midst of great riches. Also from the slave lost in 
the Russian diamond-mines, surrounded by rivers of gems, but dying 
of hunger and thirst. Also from the story in Douglas Jerrold's Cakes and 
Ale, of a man who unintentionally nailed himself into his own treasure- 
cellar, and perished. So men within the walls of their own selfishness. 



Hypocrisy Punished. — " Ottocar, king of Bohemia, refused to do 
homage to Rodolphus I., till, being conquered in war, he agreed to do 
homage to him if he could do it privately in a tent. But the tent was 
so contrived that by drawing a cord all was taken away, and so Ottocar 
was presented on his knees, doing his homage, in full view of three 
armies then on the field. Thus God at last will uncase the closest dis- 
sembler to the sight of men, angels and devils." — Spencer's " Things 
New and Old." 

Library. — Rogers' Grey son Letters, No. 31, on "The Best Punish- 
ment of Hypocrisy." 



132 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



V:5-io 



Tito's Dilemma. — " George Eliot, in ' Romola,' powerfully illustrates 
the embarassments involved in one cowardly departure from truth. In 
the chapter headed 1 Tito's Dilemma,' the occasion arises for Tito to 
fabricate an ingenious lie. Many chapters on we find him experiencing 
the inexorable law of human souls that we prepare ourselves for sudden 
deeds by the reiterated choice of good or evil that gradually determines 
character, and it becomes a question whether all the resources of lying 
will save him from being crushed. At another time we read : 1 Tito 
felt more and more confidence as he went on ; the lie was not so difficult 
when it was once begun, and as the words fell easily from his lips, they 
gave him a sense of power such as men feel when they have begun a 
muscular feat successfully.' The penalty is enforced a few pages later. 
' But he had borrowed from the terrible usurer Falsehood, and the loan 
had mounted and mounted with the years, till he belonged to the 
usurer, body and soul.' " — Bib. Illustrator. 

Library. — Lowell's Essays, vol. iv. on Dante, p. 251. "Exact 
justice is commonly more merciful in the long run than pity," etc. 



Mercy of Surgery. — The mercy of this punishment is illustrated 
by a surgeon who cuts off a limb t*save a life. In itself the act is pain- 
ful and seems cruel ; but in reality it is an act of the supremest mercy. 



The Woe Unto You of Love. — An infidel came to Dr. Chalmers, 
and said that Christ could not be as good as was claimed, or he would 
never have spoken such harsh words as he did to the scribes and Phari- 
sees. Dr. Chalmers asked him to point out the words. He did so point- 
ing to " The Woe Unto You " of Love. Then the doctor read them so 
tenderly, with such infinite pathos and love, that the unbeliever 
acknowledged that Christ might so have uttered them. 



Warnings or Examples. — God will use us to aid his kingdom, as 
examples or as warnings ; as lifeboats or as wrecks on dangerous rocks ; 
as Ulysses or Orpheus, showing how to escape the sirens ; or as the 
dead men's bones whitening the shore. It is for us to decide which. 

Library. — Trench's Poems, i( Orpheus and the Sirens." 



Failures. — 

" Of all sad words of tongue or pen, 

The saddest are these, ' It might have been.' " — Whittier. 
What can be sadder than to have ever before one's self two pic- 
tures : One of what God meant us to be, all the blessedness, use- 
fulness, glory, that we were created for. The other, a picture of our 



V: I I-I4 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 133 



11. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as 
many as heard these things. 

12. If And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and 
wonders wrought among the people ; (and they were all with 
one accord in Sol'omon's porch. 

13. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but 
the people magnified them. 

14. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multi- 
tudes both of men and women ; ) 



sins anci failures, our evil lives, our selfish hearts, and the flame which 
sin kindles in the soul; and to know that we have destroyed the first 
and created the other. It is all our own doing. Every lost sinner is a 
moral suicide. 



9. Agreed together, <rvv€<|>«vTj0T] v\liv. It icas agreed by you, as a 
harmony of different sounds. Our English symphony is the same word. 
Their hearts and their voices made the same tune, a concert. 



9. Agreed Together. — "This shows that the sin was deliberate ; 
not a fall before a sudden cyclone of temptation, but the outcome of 
a rotten character. No one falls irreclaimably without a previous 
eating away of the heart. 

We are told that in Sierra Leone the white ants will sometimes occupy 
a house, and eat their way into all the woodwork, until 
every article in the house is hollow so that it will collapse The 
into dust directly it is touched. It is so with this deceitful White 
character, so honey-combed and eaten through, that though Ants, 
for years it may maintain its plausible appearance in the 
world, few people even suspecting the extent of the inward decay, on a 
sudden the end will come ; there will be one touch of the finger of God, 
and the whole ill-compacted, worm-devoured thing will crumble into 
matchwood: He shall be broken, and that without remedy " — R. F. 
Horton, D. D. 

Library. — See, for a fuller and vivid description of the work of the 
white ants, Professor Drummond's Tropical Africa. 



13. Join himself, KoWcUrGcu. The verb means to glue or cement, 
in most instances "it implies a forced, unnatural, or unexpected 
union." Thus the prodigal in Luke 15:15, IkoW^Ot], joined himself, 
forced himself upon "the citizens of the country." 



A. D. 30-36. 

JERUSALEM, 
Effects on 
the Church 
of the 
Ananias 
Tragedy. 



134 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



V : H-14 



Touching a Live Wire. —A man lately touched a 1 1 live" electric 
wire, and said that he now had a respect for electricity and the unseen 
powers that are everywhere around us in these simple looking wires, 
such as he never had before. 



And Great Fear Came. — " "We have to preach the law, and to probe 
the conscience, and to appeal to each man's sense of sin and to each 
one's instinctive fear of punishment. It is not because that in itself 
avails anything, but because it tends to put one upon inquiring after 
something that will avail." 

' ' If the reply comes that there is no use in trying to frighten men 
into doing right, and that the whole effect of this mode of 
presentation has been to disquiet and to worry and blacken Frighten- 
the whole area of future prospect, all I can say is that we ing the 
are not trying to frighten men into doing right. I think Sick into 
we should all agree that there is very little virtue, and cer- Health, 
tainly no beauty, in rectitude that is compulsory. But if I 
were sick and you were to come to me and tell me that I was in a bad 
way, and try to alarm me into consulting a physician you would think 
it a very inapposite reply for me to make to say that for you to alarm me 
about my health showed in you an exceedingly narrow and inconsider- 
ate and antiquated temper, and that no man ever yet secured his health 
by attempts made to frighten him into recovery. You would. answer, 
and very reasonably, that you had no expectation that frightening me 
would make me well, but that you thought that by appealing to the 
spot where I kept my anxieties I might be induced to put myself under 
the care of a physician who would make me well." 

" There is said to be no pain quite so exquisite as that of looking 
directly upon the sun with eyes from which the lids have 
been cut. Something like that would be the moral agony Pain from 
with which the conscience-stricken impenitent would look Looking 
upon the face of God." — Charles H. Parkhurst, D. D. at the Sun. 



Library. — G. Stanley Hall's, A Study of Fears. 



Reference. — See under 2 : 43, " Fear on Every Soul." 



12. Many Signs and Wonders. — Now follow a large number of 
miracles of mercy, to show that the great power in the church was one 
of gentleness and love. The death of Ananias was like a thunderstorm 
with lightnings that rend great trees, showing God's power, and clari- 
fying the air. These works of mercy were like the common, helpful 
manifestations of the same electric power, in healing, in telegraph, 
telephone and motor. 



V:i5, l6 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 135 



15. Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the 
streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the 
shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. 

16. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about 
unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were 
vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. 



Vitality a Safeguard Against Disease. —The 
healthy state of the church enabled it to come safely 
through dangers that would ruin a sickly and weakly community. 

"Vitality is the great safeguard against infection, either natural or 
physical. Science has discovered the existence of scores of infectious 
baccilli which are around us in the air, in our food, in our drink, and 
where not? Each of us must have absorbed enough of them to kill an 
army, if they had taken any effect on us. They did not do so because 
we had the strength and vitality to cast them off. If we had equal 
spiritual vitality, temptations would be cast off in the same way. Situ- 
ations, company, books, and teachings, which now work to lower the 
tone of spiritual life in us, would have no effect whatever on us. The 
promise would be fulfilled to us : ' They shall take up serpents, and if 
they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them.' " — Sunday 
School Times. 



A. ». 30-36. 
JERUSALEM. 
Miracles 

of the 
Apostles* 
<ireat 
Increase of 
Disciples. 



The Church is an impregnable fortress like Gibraltar, Danger 

armed and provisioned. Assaults from without are almost from 

harmless. But if the garrison itself be corrupted, and Within, 
traitors are among the defenders, then there is danger. 



A ship is safe in the ocean so long as the ocean is Ship Safe 

not in the ship, and it is safe only then. The Christian is in the 

safe in the world, with all its waves of persecution, so long Ocean 

as the world is not in the Christian. When ? 



The Gain to the Church was not the result of the sin, but of the 
victory over it. 

" St. Augustine ! well hast thou said 
That of our vices we can frame 
A ladder, if we will but tread 
Beneath our feet each deed of shame." 

— Longfellow's Ladder of St. Augustine. 

But the rounds of the ladder are not made of the vices, but of the 
fight with and victory over them. 



i3 6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



V : 17-21 



17. If Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him (which is the 
sect of the Sad'ducees,), aud were filled with indignation, 

18. And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. 

19. But the augel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought 
them forth, and said, 

20. Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. 

21. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning 
and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called 
the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent them to 
the prison to have them brought. 



Calls for Healing in the East. — vs. 15, 16. "It requires but a 
cursory view of the East to give a new understanding of the Bible pic- 
tures of a multitude of halt, and maimed, and blind, and diseased 
reeding cure. My earliest walk in the Arab quarter of Alexandria, and 
on the streets about it, showed me, in one hour, more blind beggars, 
more children with sore or sightless eyes, more hopeless cripples and 
half -naked creatures full of sores than I had seen in all my life before. " 
" At Cairo the blind, or the sick, or the crippled sat at every street corner, 
and on every square ; were laid at every mosque door, and were crying 
out for help or for an alms before every bazaar."' " Palestine now, as 
doubtless was the case in the days of our Lord, seems fairly overrun 
with those afflicted by one form or another of bodily ailment." They 
fairly thronged the entrance ways to Jerusalem, and the paths to 
Gethsemane, and the Mount of Olives. 

"And for these there is little help. There are no hospitals or poor- 
houses. The native doctors have little scientific knowledge of the heal- 
ing art, so that the Talmud says, ' The best of physicians deserves 
hell."' — H. C. Trumbull. 



Library. — Trumbull's Studies in Oriental Social Life, "The Calls 
for Healing in the East." Thompson's Land and the Booh ; and almost 
any book of travels in the East. 



Picture. — St. Peter Healing the Sick, by Masaccio Florence. 



Library. — Hawthorne's Mosses from an Old Manse, vol. 2, " Earth's 
Holocaust," in which the people were burning up in a great bonfire all 
the useless things of the world. This can easily be applied to the con- 
suming of all the diseases and sins of the world before the millennial 
days shall come. Many of them are already consumed. 



17. Sect, cupeo-is (same word as our heresy), from aXpia, middle, to 
take for one's self, and choose from among many things. Hence cupccris, is 



V: I7-2I 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



"strictly the choice of an opinion contrary to those 
usually received," a sect (section), a heresy. 



18. In the common prison, Iv T»ipT]o-€i Simoo-ia, in 

public ivard or keeping, but by means of prison, v. 

19, ttis <j>v\aKT]S. 

Library. — Whateley's Good and Evil Angels. 



137 

— * 



A. D. 30-36. 

JERUSALEM. 
Apostles 

Im- 
prisoned 

and 
Released. 



19. The Angel of the Lord. — 

' Flitting, flitting ever near thee, 
Sitting, sitting by thy side ; 
Like your shadow all un weary, 
Angel beings guard and guide. 

Mantle with their wings your heart, 
As a mother folds her child ; 

Light in cloud pavilions dark, 
Shielding from the tempest wild. 

Silent as the moonbeams creeping, 
Viewless as the ether breath ; 

Round the weary head when weeping 
Soothing with the peace of death. 

Starlike shoots each holy one, 
With the sword of tempest bright ; 

Casting the Almighty shield 
Around the heir of light. " 



21. Pictures. — Peter Delivered from Prison, by Raphael, Vatican. 
St. Peter and the Angel, by Lippi, Florence. A miniature of St. Peter, 
by Hans Memling. Liberation of Peter, Murillo. 



The Senate. — (yepowiav). — tl From -yepcov, an old man, like the Latin 
senatus, from senex, old. Taking on very early an official sense, the 
notion of age being merged in that of dignity. Thus in Homer -y€povT€s 
are the chiefs who form the king's council. Compare the Latin patres, 
fathers, the title used in addressing the Roman senate. They summoned, 
not only those elders of the people who were likewise members of the 
Sanhedrim, but the whole council (all the senate) of the representatives 
of the people." — M. B. Vincent, in Word Studies. 



138 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



V : 22-32 



22. But when the officers came, and found them not in prison, they returned, aud 
told, 

23. Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers 
standing without before the doors: but when we had opened we found no man 
within. 

24. Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests 
heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. 

25. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in 
prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. 

26. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence : 
for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. 

27. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the 
high priest asked them, 

28. Saying, " Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this 
name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to 
bring this man's blood upon us. 

29. T[ Then Peter aad the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey 
God rather than men. 

30. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 

31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to 
give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 

32. And we are his witnesses of these things ; and so is also the Holy Ghost, 
whom God hath given to them that obey him. 



Reference. — See under 12 :9, 10, another deliverance of Peter from 
prison. 

24. They Doubted (Sitiiropovv). — ' ' From Sid, through, and dirope'co, to be 

without a way out The radical idea of the compound verb seems to be 
of one who goes through the whole list of possible ways, and finds no 
way out. Hence, to be in perplexity." — Vincent's Word Studies. 



25. The Double Picture in the Louvre. — There are some pictures 
(several in the Louvre) so constructed that, when the spectator is 
thoroughly impressed with the scene before him, a spring is touched, 
and the picture turns on a pivot, and exposes on its reverse side that 
which completes the intended impression. This picture is constructed 
on similar principles. On the one side are the rulers doing all they can 
to put a stop to the Gospel. On the other the angels and apostles, and 
the church growing stronger and larger all the time. 



Reference. — See effects of persecution, under viii : 4. 



29. To obey, irciOapxciv, from irciQw, to obey, and apxtj, authority, govern- 
ment ; hence the obedience due to those in authority over us. 



V 122-32 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



139 



We Ought. ^ 1 

" So near is grandeur to our dust, A * D * 30-36. 

? ~ , , JERUSALEM. 

So near is God to man, Apostles 

When Duty whispers low, ' Thou must,' again 

mi i.i t <r > » Arrested. 

The youth replies, I can.' Peter's 

■ Speech 

" All honor to men who are willing to sink Saifhedrlm. 

Half their present repute for the freedom to think ; ^ ■ 

And when they have thought, be their cause strong or weak, 
Will sink th' other half for the freedom to speak." — Lowell. 

Duty. — "I beg you to accept my address as a fragment of the life of 
a brother who had felt the scars of a battle in which many of you are 
now engaged. Duty has been mentioned as my motive force. In Ger- 
many one heard this word much more frequently than the word glory. 
I asked t wo Prussian officers whom I met in the summer of 
1871, at Pontresina, how the German troops behaved when Duty in 
going into battle, did they cheer and encourage each other, the German 
The reply I received was : Never in our experience has the Army, 
cry, ' Wir miissen siegen ' — we must conquer — been 
heard from German soldiers ; but in a hundred instances we have heard 
them resolutely exclaim, ' Wir miissen unsere Pflicht thun ' — we must 
do our duty. It was a sense of duty rather than love of glory that 
strengthened those men and filled them with an invincible heroism. We 
in England have always liked the iron ring of the word ' duty.' It 
was Nelson's talisman at Trafalgar. It was the guiding star of Wel- 
lington." — Prof. Tyndall. 



" ' What shall I do to be forever known?' 

Thy duty ever. 
This did full many who yet sleep unknown, 

Oh, never, never ! 
Think'st thou perchance that they remain unknown 

Whom thou knowest not ? 
By angel trumps in heaven, their praise is blown — 

Divine their lot. 

' What shall I do to gain eternal life ? ' 

Discharge aright 
The simple dues with which each day is rife, 

Yea, with thy might. 
Ere perfect scheme of action thou devise 

Will life be fled ; 
While he who ever acts as conscience cries, 

Shall live, though dead." — Schiller. 



140 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



V: 33-36 



83. IT When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay 
them. 

34. Then stood there up one in the council, a Pha'risee, named Gamaliel, a doc- 
tor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the 
apostles forth a little space ; 

35. And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend 
to do as touching these men. 

36. For before these days rose up Theu das, boasting himself to be somebody; 
to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves : who was slain ; 
and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. 



33. They were, cut to the heart. Si€7rpiovTo, from Sid, through, and -n-ptw, 
to saw ; hence to saiv through, to saw asunder, tropically, in the passive, 
to be sawn through mentally, to be rent by passion or vexation, to be 
exasperated. 



34. Gamaliel. — It was the tradition of the ancient Greek church 
from the fifth century that he was converted to Christianity and bap- 
tized, along with his son Abibus and Nicodemus, by St. Peter and St. 
John. This story of Gamaliel's secret adherence to Christianity goes 
even much farther back. There is a curious Christian novel or romance, 
which dates back to close upon the year 200, called the Clementine 
Recognitions, of which there is a translation in H. T. Clark's Ante-Nicene 
Library. — Prof. Stolces. 



One Theudas. — " The same names often occur in connection with the 
same movements, political or religious. In the third century, for 
instance, the Novatian heresy arose at Carthage, and thence was trans- 
ferred to Rome. It was headed by two men, Novatus and Novatian, 
the former a Carthaginian, the latter a Roman presbyter. What a fine 
subject for a mythical theory, were not the facts too indisputably his- 
torical ! How a German critic would revel in depicting the impossibil- 
ity of two men with names so like holding precisely the 
same office and supporting exactly the same views in two Instances 
cities so widely separated as Rome and Carthage ! Or let of Two 
us take two modern instances. The Tractarian movement Men of 
is not yet quite sixty years old. It has not therefore yet the Same 
passed out of the sphere of personal experience. It started Name, 
in Oxford during the thirties, and there in Oxford we find 
at that very period two divines named William Palmer, both favoring 
the Tractarian views, both eminent writers and scholars, but yet tending 
finally in different directions, for one William Palmer became a Roman 
Catholic, while the other remained a devoted son of the Reformation. 
Or to come to still more modern times. There was an Irish movement 



V-.37-4 2 THE ACTS OF THE apostles 141 



37. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of 
the taxing, and drew away much people after him : he also 
perished ; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. 

38. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and 
let them alone : for if this counsel or this work be of men, it 
will come to nought : 

39. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it ; lest haply ye 
be found even to fight against God. 

40. And to him they agreed : and when they had called the »i* »J* 

apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name 
of Jesus, and let them go. 

41. If And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they 
were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 

42. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and 
preach Jesus Christ. 



A. D. 30-36. 

JERUSALEM. 
Gamaliel's 
Speech 
to the 
Sanhedrim. 
Case of 
Judas 
of Galilee. 



in 1848 which numbered amongst its most prominent leaders a William 
Smith O'Brien, and there is now an Irish movement of the same charac- 
ter, and it also numbers a William O'Brien amongst its most prominent 
leaders. A Parnell leads the movement for repeal of the Union in 1890. 
Ninety years earlier a Parnell resigned high office sooner than consent 
to the consummation of the same legislative union of Great Britain and 
Ireland. We might indeed produce parallel cases without number from 
the range of history." — Prof Stokes, in Expositors' Bible. 

A similar instance has lately occurred in Natick, Mass. A maiden lady 
named Mary Ann Morse left $50,000 or more for a public library. A 
few years after another lady of the same town, named Mary Ann Morse 
left $150,000 for a hospital. One was a maiden, the other married into 
the name, but they were not relatives even by marriage, the two Morse 
families having no known relationship. 



88 Refrain From These Men. — In the presence of error preach the 
truth, and live the Gospel, taking as little notice of the error as possible. 
One revival of religion is worth more to put down infidelity than a mil- 
lion books full of unanswerable arguments. Pull up weeds as need be, 
but he that would have a good garden must pay his chief attention to 
sowing good seed, and culturing good plants, in the very culture of 
which the weeds are destroyed. 

39. Ye Cannot Overthrow It. — Dr. Parson once said, "lam 
immortal till my work is done." God will deliver those whom he 
needs in his service. 



41. They Were Counted Worthy to Suffer Shame (KaTTj^iw0T]o-av 
dTiixao-O-qvai). ' ' This is an instance of what rhetoricians style an 



142 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS V : 37-42 



oxymoron, from 6|xis, sharp, and n w P°s, foolish ; a pointedly foolish 
saying, which is witty or impressive through sheer contradiction or 
paradox, as laborious idleness, sublime indifference. In this case the 
the apostles are described as dignified by indignity" — Vincent's Word 
Studies. 



40. And Beaten Them. — "St. Paul, as he tells us in 2 Cor. xi. 24, 
was five times flogged by the Jews. When the Jews inflicted this 
punishment the culprit was tied to a pillar in the synagogue ; the exe- 
cutioner, armed with a scourge of three distinct lashes, inflicted the 
punishment ; while an official standing by read selected portions of the 
law between each stroke. Thirteen strokes of the threefold scourge 
was equivalent to the thirty-nine stripes. This was the flogging the 
apostles suffered on this occasion." — Prof. Stokes. 



Commanded that They Should Not Speak. — Reference. See under 
4:14, "The Picture in Wickliffe's Bible." 



Free Church of Scotland. — " In 1843 the Free Church of Scotland 
left the shelter of the State establishment, and 475 clergymen gave up 
their stipends, the principal of which amounted to two millions of 
pounds sterling. They left their parishes, their churches, their homes, 
their living, rather than surrender one principle of religious faith. As 
they filed out of the hall of the General Assembly with the venerable 
Chalmers, — the foremost man of all Scotland at their head, — and 
marched down High street, a friend came to Judge Jeffrey, and cried, 
'They are out, they are out!' — 'Who are out?' — 'The Evangeli- 
cals. Don't you hear the cheers of the crowd?' Then the judge, who 
had written against them, ridiculed them, and predicted that not one 
would dare to go, sprang to his feet, swung his hat, and with a huzza 
as hearty as the loudest, cried out, ' Three cheers for Old Scotland ! 
Nowmere out of Scotland could so grand a thing have happened.' " — 
From Prof. Phelps. 



41. Eejoicing . . . That Worthy to Suffer. —Any one can 
rejoice when all is happy and pleasant. The test of joy is 
joy in sorrow and tribulation. The storm tries the vessel. Joy 
And Christian joy and peace have been tried by every Tested, 
storm that man or Satan can raise, and ride triumphant 
over all. 



V: 37-42 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



143 



"A great religious painter has put under his picture >%• 
of the bleeding, thorn-crowned Sufferer : — 

' I have borne these things for thee ; 
What hast thou done for me ? ' 

This impressive picture of Corregio's is in the Royal 
Gallery of Munich. The rope which binds the hands 
of the Divine Victim is represented as depending over the Latin 
inscription : 

' Ego, pro te, hsec passus sum : 
Tu vero quid f ecisti pro me ? ' " — Macduff. 



A.». 30-36. 

JERUSALEM. 
Apostles 

Dis- 
charged. 

* 



" A sailor was converted. In the glow and gladness of first love he was 
heard to exclaim, ' To save such a sinner as I am ! He 
shall never hear the last of it!' Sometimes men in Never 
unchristian anger use the threat against an enemy, ' He Hear the 
shall never hear the last of it.' Here, in Christian triumph, Last of it. 
it was beautifully used by the rejoicing sailor. Through all 
eternity the saved shall praise the Saviour. ' He shall never hear the 
last of it.' " — Sunday School Journal. 



Beginnings op the A. B. F. M. — When one of the early meetings 
of the American Board of Foreign Missions was held at Bradford, 
Mass., says Prof. Phelps, less than twenty persons were in attendance, 
and they were hooted at by the boys on the piazza of the hotel where 
they were in session. Now their annual meetings are the largest, most 
popular, and enthusiastic of their denomination. 



One with God is a majority." 



Library. — Spurgeon's Sermons in Candles (published by American 
Tract Society, price $L00), p. 121, 122. A man tries in vain with his 





bellows to blow out a candle in a lantern by blowing against the glass. 
But break the glass and let the blast get within, and the candle is in 
danger. 



144 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS V : 37-42 



42. And Ceased Not — Library. — Goethe's Poems, "Without 
Haste, Without Rest." 

The Lotus Eaters, in Tennyson's Poems, show the exact contrast to 
what Christ was on earth, and what his disciples are to be, reposing 

" On the hills together, careless of mankind, 
For they lie beside their nectar," 

in golden houses, and smile, and find a music in the lamentations 
which come up from wronged and suffering men. Compare Haw- 
thorne's sketch of the modern Pilgrim's Progress in "A Celestial Rail- 
road," in Mosses from an Old Manse. 



VI: I, 2 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



CHAPTER VI. 



1. And in those days, when the number of the disciples was 
multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against 
the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily 
ministration. 

2. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto 
them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word 
of God, and serve tables. 



A.». 34-36. 

JERUSALEM. 

Deacons 
Appointed. 
Beginning 
of Church 
Organi- 
zation. 



Picture. — St. Peter Distributing Alms, G. Maraccio, Florence. 



1. Was Multiplied, itXt^wovtiov, from tt\i\9v<$, fulness ; a multitude; 
hence made full ; become a great number, multiplied as the means of 
making the number great. 

A Murmuring •vo^vo-fids, a murmuring, used of the cooing of doves, 
the sound expressing in some measure the sense, as does our word 
murmur. 

Were Neglected, iraptOewpovvTo, from irapd, one side of, beside, and 
Ocwptw to look at, to contemplate, hence here to look aside from, so as 
not to see. They turned their eyes in another direction. 

Ministration, SiaKovia, from Skxkovos, same word as our deacon, 
commonly derived (though very doubtful) from Sid, thoroughly, and 
kovis, dust, one who is dusty from running on messages (Liddell), 
raising the dust from hastening (Thayer), hence a servant, attendant, 
minister. 



Murmuring. — Dante, in his Inferno, pictures those who were un- 
grateful murmurers as sunk into an inky sea, because they refused to 
trust God in the sunshine. 



Imperfections in the Good. — There was a real fault, an imperfection, 
in the conduct of these early Christians. " Let him that is without sin 
among you cast the first stone " at them. Some imperfection can be 
found in all good people, and in all good communities. The faults 
show so clearly because they stand against so white a foreground, as a 
spot that does not show at all on a muddy dress, or soiled face, will 
show plainly and greatly disfigure a white dress or a pure face. 
10 



146 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VI: I, 2 



Emphasizing the Faults of Good People. — Many, even of good 
people, speak so much of the faults of Christians, that a worldly man 
would imagine that Christians are mostly made up of . faults, — as an 
astronomer might speak of the spots on the sun. "One 
man has studied 9o4 groups of spots;" "Captain Davis Sun Spots, 
measured one spot in 1839 which had an area of 2o thousand 
million square miles, and a world 1300 times as large as ours could pass 
into the opening ;"" another was 50,000 miles in diameter." And a 
blind man hearing all this, might easily imagine that the sun w T as 
chiefly made up of spots, and could do very little good with its shining. 
They are like the man who " could see a fly on a barn-door two miles 
off, and not see the door.''' 



Chaff Among Wheat. — " Zoilus once presented Apollo a very caustic 
criticism upon a very admirable book. Whereupon the 
god asked him to specify the beauties of the work. Zoilus Punishment 
replied that he had busied himself about the errors only, of Fault- 
On hearing this, Apollo, handing him a sack of unwin- finding, 
nowed wheat, bade him pick out all the chaff for his 
reward." — Trajano Boccalini in Advertisements from Parnassus. 



Good Done by Imperfect Instruments. — The faith of the best of 
saints is imperfect, though sound and true. It has been so ever since 
man left Eden, but with this imperfect instrument wonders have been 
done. 

" There's a fleck of rust on a flawless blade — 
On the armor of price there's one ; 
There's a mole on the cheek of a lovely maid — 
There are spots on the sun. 

But the blade of Damascus has succored the weak, 

The shield saved a knight from a fall ; 
The mole is a grace on my lady's cheek — 

The sun, it shines for all." — S. A. Walker. 



Reference. — Good work from imperfect people. See under 15:39, 
several illustrations. 



Library. — Mrs. Gatty's Parables from Nature. ' ' Imperfect instru- 
ments," where the above truth is illustrated by the tuning of an organ, 
which must have minor imperfections in order to make good music. 



VI : 3, 4 THE A C TS 0F THE APOSTLES 147 



3. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of 
honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we 
may appoint over this business. 

4. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to 
the ministry of the word. 



Short Sayings About Faults. — Our own faults 
are so natural, so in harmony with our disposition, 
that they come without effort, almost without our consciousness, while 
the unaccustomed faults of others grate upon our feelings. 

An ancient writer says that people carry faults in two bags ; one con- 
taining their own faults is slung behind them out of sight, while the 
other, holding their neighbor's faults, is borne in front, ever in sight, 
and often counted. 

" Ten thousand of the greatest faults in our neighbors are of less con- 
sequence to us than one of the smallest in ourselves." — Abp. Whately. 
" To pardon those absurdities in ourselves which we cannot suffer in 
others is neither better nor worse than to be more willing to be fools 
ourselves than to have others." — Dean Swift. 

"Their own defects, invisible-to them, 

Seen in another, they at once condemn, 
And though self -idolized in every case, 

Hate their own likeness in a brother's face." — Coivper. 



A. D. 34-36. 

JERUSALEM. 

Deacons 
Appointed. 
Beginning 
of Cliureh 
Organi- 
zation. 



A Beautiful Tree, No Leaf Perfect. — Near my summer home in 
the White Mountains is one maple tree that shows a perfection of 
autumn foliage beyond the others. It flames almost like a burning bush. 
As a whole it is wonderful in its radiant glory, but I have never yet 
found one single perfect leaf upon its boughs. 



3. Of Honest Report, p.apTvpov|A€vovs, those who have good witness 
borne to them, well reported of, accredited. The same word as is fre- 
quently used in describing the apostles as witnesses. 



4. Give Ourselves Continually, irpo(TKapT€pif|<ro|x€v, from -n-pos, to, and 
KapTcpos, strong, strongly adhering to, firmly, obstinately, persisting in. 



Give Ourselves to the Ministry of the Word. — A Minister's 
Dream. — " We have been reading the account of a dream, which a cer- 
tain minister says he dreamed. He appeared to be hitched to a car- 
riage, and he was attempting to pull it along. He reached a point not 



I48 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VI : 5-7 



5. If And the saying pleased the whole multitude ; and they chose Stephen, a man 
full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip and Proch'orus, and Nlca'nor, and 
Ti'mon, and Par'menas, aud Ni'colas a proselyte of An'tioch ; 

6. Whom they set before the apostles : and when they had prayed, they laid 
their hands on them. 

7. And the word of God increased ; and the number of the disciples multiplied in 
Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. 



far from his church ; but the mud seemed to grow deeper and deeper : 
the vehicle drew so heavily that he gasped for breath, and almost sank 
down exhausted. This struck him as the more inexplicable, because, 
looking back, he saw the entire congregation behind the carriage, 
apparently pushing it on. But the longer he tried, the harder the labor 
became, till finally he was forced to stop and examine the difficulty. 
He went to the rear, where he supposed his helpers were But nobody 
could be found. He called, but got no answer. He repeated the call 
again and again, but there was still no reply. By and by one voice 
spoke to him by name. Looking up, whom should he see but one of his 
deacons, gazing complacently out of the window ! And on going to the 
door of the carriage, what was his astonishment to behold the whole 
congregation sitting quietly inside ! And the tired man who relates the 
story asks plaintively enough at the close of it, ' Do you suppose this 
was all a dream?'" — C. S. Robinson, LL. D., in S. S. Times. 



5. Full of the Holy Ghost. — "I had been struggling for five years. 
I had had visions of His power and glimpses of what I might be if I 
were "filled with the Spirit," but all this time, like the disciples at Ephe- 
sus, there was a great lacking. 

At last I reached the place where I felt that I was willing to make a 
surrender. I reached it by the path marked out by Mr. Meyer when he 
said, "If you are not ready to surrender everything to God, are you 
ready to say, ' I am willing to be made willing about everything ? ' " 
That seemed easy, and alone before God I simply said, " I am willing." 

Then He made the way easy. He brought before me my ambition, 
then my personal ease, then my home, then other things came to me, 
and I simply said, ,( I will give them up." And last of all my will was 
surrendered about everything. Then, without any emotion, for, as Mr. 
Meyer said, it was "faith without emotion," I said, " My Father, I now 
claim from Thee the infilling of the Holy Ghost." From that moment to 
this He has been a living reality. I never knew what it was to love my 
family before. I question if they ever knew what it was to love me, 
although we had called ourselves happy in the love of each other. I 
never knew what it was to study the Bible before ; and why should I ? 



VI: 5-7 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



149 



For had I not just then found the key ? I never knew <i> 1 

what it was to preach before. ' Old things are passed A. D. 34-36. 

away ' in my Christian experience, behold, ' all things JERUSALEM. 

are become new.' " — J. Wilbur Chapman, D. D. Deacons. 

Great 

Increase of 

6. The Ordination. — "It requires great principles Believers. 

to secure our faithfulness in little duties, and every \, , 

duty, however apparently insignificant, acquires a 

real grandeur when it is regarded in the light of those principles from 

which its fulfilment springs." — Farrar. 



7. The Word • of God Increased — Multiplied. — The Ten to 
Strangers, is an organization in the Calvary Baptist church of Wash- 
ington, D. C. It grew out of "The King's Sons," which, like the 
* ' King's Daughters, " consisted of ten persons pledged to some kind of 
Christian work. There are, in 1890, fifteeen members, but 
they go under the old name. One part of their work is to Ten to 
go around to the leading hotels of Washington each Satur- Strangers, 
day afternoon, and obtain the names of the young men 
who are guests for the Sabbath. To each of these they send 
a personal letter of invitation to the Calvary Baptist Church and Sun- 
day school. The result is a very large attendance of young men at that 
church, more than at any other church in the city. Of course the " Ten 
to Strangers " are on hand to welcome those they have invited. 

One incident was of interest. A young man at a certain hotel took 
his invitation from the post-office box, glanced at it, and threw it away. 
The clerk picked it up, put it in another envelope, and laid it in his 
box. At tea-time he had his second invitation. He threw it away, but 
by the kindness of the clerk it was again put in an envelope, so that at 
bed time he had a third invitation. He was astonished, but threw it 
aside. However, at breakfast, the letter of invitation in a new envelope 
was beside his plate. When he received this invitation the fourth time, 
he made up his mind that if any church would send him four invitations 
in one evening, it was time for him to go there and see what it meant. 

The St. Andrew's Guild is an organization in St. George's Episcopal 
Church, New York City, a branch of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, an 
organization of wide extent in the Episcopal Church for the reaching 
and influencing of young men. This Brotherhood is named from the 
Apostle Andrew, who, when he had become acquainted 
with Jesus, immediately went and found his greater Guild of 
brother, Simon, and brought him to the Saviour. The St. Andrew, 
guild in St. George's parish in 1890 numbered sixty-four 
young men, each one of whom is pledged to do his best every week to 



i5o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VI: 8-10 



8. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among 
the people. 

9 IT Then there arose certain of the synagogue which is called the synagogue of 
the Lib'ertlnes, and Cyre'nlans, and'Alexan'drians, and of them of Cili'cia and of 
Asia, disputing with Stephen. 

10. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and spirit by which he spake. 



bring some young man to church and Sunday-school. This guild is one 
of the means to a very rare fact, that there are more men than women 
in the congregation, and more boys than girls in the Sunday-school. 

A Child is a Multiplication Table. — Some one has said that " if 
you convert an adult you convert a unit, but if you convert a child you 
convert a multiplication table.'' But every Christian ought to be a 
multiplication table. 

Library. — Rev. E. E. Hale's, Ten Times One is Ten. 



Permeation of the Christian Leaven. — " Many persons mistake the 
way in which the conversion of India will be brought about. I believe 
it will at last take place wholesale, just as our own ancestors were con- 
verted. The country will have Christian instruction infused into it in 
every way by direct missionary education, and indirectly through 
books of various kinds, through the public papers, through conversation 
with Europeans, and in all the conceivable ways in which knowledge is 
communicated. Then at last, when society is completely saturated 
with Christian knowledge, and public opinion has taken a decided turn 
that way, they will come over by thousands." — Sir Charles Trevelyan 
in 1853. 



Stephen. — Stephen first an honest man, then a deacon, then a 
powerful preacher, then a martyr. " Thackeray sagaciously hints that 
there is a law of spiritual harvest ; we sow a thought and reap an act ; 
sow an act and reap a habit ; sow a habit and reap a character ; sow 
a character and reap a destiny." — A. T. Pierson, D. D. 

Reference, see under iv : 13, " The world wants men." 



Full of Faith and Power. — " Perhaps I can explain better what I 
mean by telling you what occurred to myself the other day. I was 
spending a little time with a doctor friend of mine in East London, and 
after dinner he said. " Come to my study, will you ? " I thought of the 
spider and the fly. but I went. When he had closed the door he said, 
" I want to try an experiment on you." I immediately said, "Will it 



VI:8-io 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



hurt?" " Oh, no, it won't hurt you at all. Be quite •!* 4" 

comfortable about that." Then he brought out a sheet 
of glass and stood it on four glass feet ; then placing 
a chair on the glass, he said, " I want you to get up 
on that glass and sit down on that chair." I did as I 
was told, and then said, ' ' What are you going to 

do?" "Well, now," he said, "you understand that >i> 4* 

glass is a non-conductor of electricity, don't you?" 
" Yes." " Well, while I have you sitting as you do upon that glass, 
standing as it does on its four glass feet, you are completely cut off, 
separated, from everything that's around you ; and while I have you 
in that isolated position and condition, I am going to fill you up full 
with electricity and fetch sparks out of you." And again 
I said, " Will it hurt ?" " Oh, no," he said, " you won't feel Full of 
anything." I sat still ; the battery was attached, and by Electricity, 
and by he said, " Now you are full." " Oh, but," I said, " I 
don't feel anything." "Perhaps not, but you are full." And then, 
with a sort of little steel wand that he had, he touched me, here, there, 
yonder, and sparks came out. It was like striking half a box of 
matches all at once on one's coat. He said, "I can make your hair 
stand on end." And he did. "Well," I said, "that's very remark- 
able." "Yes; and now I want you to put your foot down to the 
ground." I did so. "Now," he said, " you are empty." "Empty?" 
"Yes, quite." " Well," I said, " that's queerer still." He went on to 
say, "Directly as much as a thread of you touched the earth, all that 
power that was in you ran out of you and left you just as you were 
before." I went away and thought about that. I remembered how 
many times the old Book had called upon me to be filled with the 
Spirit. I remembered that it is only just as long as I am filled with the 
Spirit that God can use me to the extreme limit of any powers which 
I may possess ; and it is only while my life is entirely separated from 
everything out of harmony with the mind and the will of God that I 
can be in any real, full measure the temple of the Holy Ghost." — W. 
Knight Chaplin, D. D. 



Assurance of Faith. — "It was said of Matthew Henry that, ' when 
he lacked the faith of assurance, he lived by the faith of adherence.' 
Dr. Gordon talked little of the assurance of faith, yet he never seemed 
to be darkened by doubt, because he walked in the light by the faith of 
adherence, which became to him the faith of assurance by unconscious 
transfer. When the hand has hold of another's hand, it is hard to doubt 
that other's presence ; and if we thought less of our own assurance, 
and looked more to the maintenance of an assured and uninterrupted 



A. O. 36,37. 
JERUSALEM. 

Stephen. 
Discus- 
sions with 

the Jen s. 



152 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VIiII-IJ 



11. Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous 
words against Moses, and against God. 

12. And they strirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon 
him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, 

13. And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphe- 
mous words against this holy place, and the law . 



fellowship with a personal Saviour, we should know that we are in 
Him and He in us by the Spirit which He hath given us, and by the 
Constant and conscious touch of holy contact." — A. T. Pierson, D. D. 



The Rev. Ver. has grace instead of power. Grace should ever 
accompany faith and power. "How seldom is a Boanerges (son of 
thunder) at the same time a Barnabas (son of consolation)." — Mark 
Hopkins. 

Library. — Strength and Beauty. Sermon by President Mark 
Hopkins. 



9. Disputing with Stephen. — Powder confined in a cannon, or in 
a rock, will blow things to atoms witli deadly explosion. Powder loose 
on the ground makes a harmless blaze and smoke. Free 
discussion is comparatively harmless. But repression and Sitting on 
coercion will sometimes produce a dangerous explosion, the Safety 
Free discussion is a safety valve. Woe to him who sits Valve, 
upon it. It is like the crater of Vesuvius, ever smoking 
and blazing with little harm. Confine its fires, and you have an 
earthquake and destruction. 

Pictures, St. Stephen, by Francia, Borghese Gallery, Rome ; Conse- 
cration of St. Stephen, by Fra Angelico, Vatican. 



11. Suborned, vire'PaXov, from vir6, and pd\\w, to cast or throw. " Hence 
the verb originally means to put under, as carpets under one's feet : 
hence, to put one person in place of another ; to substitute, as another's 
child for one's own ; to employ a secret agent in one's place, and to 
instigate or secretly instruct him." — M. R. Vincent. 

13. Set up False Witnesses. — " The great medical authority of the 
last century, Cullen, well says there are more false facts in the world 
than false theories." These " false facts" often arise from giving bad 
names to good things, or good names to bad things. The Golden Ride 
says : ' ' Much harm has been wrought, and many deaths have been 



VI : 14, 15 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 1 53 



14. For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Naz'areth 
shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs, which 
Moses delivered us. 

15. And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on 
him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. 

caused, as the news of the day often reminds us, by things that bore 
the wrong name. Death has come out of not a few bottles whose labels 
promised life and health. Once the contents of the vial were innocent 
and useful ; the contents were changed, but the label was left to serve 
as a snare. In trade, too, men have learned the value of a well-known 
label as a means of palming off intentionally articles that are inferior 
when they are not dangerous. This use of the wrong label has been a 
favorite device for leading astray the unsuspecting." 

The Pharisees endeavored to put Satan's labels on God's good works. 
Sometimes new truths have been labeled " error," and sometimes saints 
have been labeled "heretics." Perhaps quite as often has evil been 
labeled "good," and deadly heresies been labeled "progressive 
thought." 



Distorting Mirrors. — We sometimes look into a concave mirror 
which turns upon a pivot, a mirror which distorts the features in various 
ways and degrees. While still keeping some resemblance, the picture is a 
distorted caricature. 



Seeing Through Imperfect Glass. — While riding in the cars I have 
often looked at the tracks through some of the imperfections of which 
ordinary glass is full. The rails seemed twisted and writhing, with 
curious curves and turns. And yet I knew that in reality they were 
straight. So St. Stephen's words were distorted by the prejudices and 
hatred of his persecutors. 



14. Shall Change the Customs. -"We have read of a lady mission- 
ary in India who on visiting a certain town found the place smitten with 
cholera. She gave to some of the patients a specific for cholera, and 
ordered further supplies of the medicine for other sufferers. On her 
return she was delighted, on meeting the chief man of the place, to 
hear him say : " We have been so much benefited by your medicine that 
we have decided to accept also your God. To prove the reality of what he 
said, he led her into their temple, where she saw the empty bottles 
arranged in order on a shelf ; and immediately the whole company of 
natives prostrated themselves upon the floor in worship to the bottles as 
a god. It is quite possible that every Christian people may sometimes 



A.D. 36,37. 

JERUSALEM. 
St e plie ii 
Charged 

with Blas- 
phemy. 



154 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VI: 14, 15 



fall into an analogous idolatry. An excessive reverence or admiration 
for certain formulas of worship, capable of conveying a true blessing 
when the worship is really in the Spirit, but useless as empty medicine 
bottles when the Spirit is lacking, may not be so remote in character 
from the worship of empty bottles." — Rev. D. Berger, D. D. 



15. Looking Steadfastly arevio-avTes, from " a,'' intensive, and tcivw, 
to stretch, hence applying the mind intently to, on the stretch. Our 
word attention has the same meaning, from ad, to, and tendo, to stretch. 



15. Saw His Face Shine as it Had Been the Face of an Angel. — 
."Charles Lamb satirizes the man who vainly persuades 
himself that he can eat garlic in secret and not smell of it Eating 
publicly. No man can walk with God in secret and culti- Garlic 
vate the acquaintance of the unseen Christ, without char- in Secret, 
acter becoming radiant, until even his face will shine 
though he knows it not. Hence a minister is not only to be a herald 
but a witness." —A. T. Pierson, D. D. 



" When one that holds communion with the skies, 
Has filled his urn where those pure waters rise, 
And once more mingles with us meaner things, 
'Tis e'en as if an angel shook his wings ; 
Immortal fragrance fills the circuit wide, 
That tells us whence his treasures are supplied." 

— Couper. 

Examples of this shining of the countenance are found in Christ on 
the Transfiguration Mount ; in Moses coming down from Sinai, after 
having talked with God. 



As the aromatic plant emits it sweetest odours by pressure, so Chris- 
tian character gains charm by suffering. As the stars only shine at 
night, so the brightest virtues can only shine in trial. 



Dante in the Streets of Florence. — " When Dante walked the 
streets of Florence with downcast eyes and stricken face, people looked 
compassionately upon him, and said, 'Behold the man who has been 
in hell ! ' When Jesus of Nazareth walked among men, with the halo 
of God's light and love resting upon Him, well might the beholders 
have said of Him : 4 Behold the Man who has been in Heaven ! ' " 



VI: 14, 15 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



155 



Shining of the Soul Through the Face. — Dante, ^ 

describing the angels whom he met in the Paradise, j A. ». 38,37. 
impresses us at once with their external glory and 
spiritual effulgence. Invariably he makes the former 
the result of the latter. With closer faithfulness to 
physical science than lie dreamed, he sings : 

"Another of those splendors 
Approached me, and its will to pleasure me 
I signified by brightening outwardly, 
As one delighted to do good ; 
Became a thing transplendent in my sight 
As a prize ruby smitten by the sun." 

— Paradisp Ix: 13-19. 

"Dante says of Beatrice, as he saw her in the Paradise, that — 

' She smiled so joyously 
That God seemed in her countenance to rejoice.' " 

— Paradiso xxvii : 105. 

" This is what I mean by the solar light in the face of men.'" 
" Other things being equal, Caesar's eye goes down whenever it meets 
and does not possess the solar look. The veriest sick girl with this 
solar light behind her eyeballs is more than a match for Caesar without 
it." — Joseph Cook. 



Stephen 
before tlie 
Sanliedrini. 



Library. — Boston Monday Lectures, vol. on Conscience, " Solar Self- 
Culture." 



The Transfigured Face. — St. Augustine beautifully writes of the 
martyr's transfigured face : " O lamb, foremost (of the flock of Christ), 
fighting in the midst of wolves, following after the Lord, but still at a 
distance from Him, and already the angel's friend. Yes, how clearly 
was he the angel's friend who, while in the very midst of the wolves, 
still seemed like an angel ; for so transfigured was he by the rays of the 
Sun of Righteousness, that even to his enemies he seemed a being not 
of this world." 



Library. — Goethe's Tale of Tales, as expounded by Carlyle in his 
Essays, the inner light changing the fisherman's hut into an exquisite 
temple of silver. 



1 5 6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VI: 14, 15 



Stephen Before the Council. — Prof. Wilkinson, in his Epic of Saul, 
thus pictures Stephen : 

" In guise a seraph rapt, with love aflame 
And all aflame with knowledge, like the bush 
That burned with God in Horeb unconsumed, 
The fervent, pure apostle Stephen stood 
In ardors from celestial altars caught, 
Kindling to incandescence, — stood and forged 
With ringing blow on blow, his argument. 

" The light that lifted and transfigured him 
And glorified, that bright auroral ray 
Of genius which forever makes the brow 
It strikes on from its fountain far in God, 
Shine like the sunrise-smitten mountain peak." 



Library. — Prof. W. C. Wilkinson's Epic of Saul (Funk and Wag- 
nall), a poem describing the wonderful life-epic of the conversion of 
St. Paul. It makes the scenes very vivid, and traces the probable course 
of his inner life. 



Imagine a palace beautifully lighted within, but with closed blinds 
and drawn curtains. Then imagine its appearance to one without when 
the blinds and doors are thrown open, and the brilliance within bursts 
forth from every opening. 



VII: 1-7 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



157 



CHAPTER VII. 



1. Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 

2. And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken ; The 
God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he 
was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt iu Char'ran, 

3. And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from 
thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 

4. Then came he out of the land of the Chalde'ans, and dwelt 
in Char'ran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he 
removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 

5. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so mvch as 
to set his foot on : yet he promised that he would give it to him 
for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had 
no child. 

6. And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn 
in a strange land ; and that they should bring them into bondage, 
and entreat them evil four hundred years. 

7. And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God : and 
after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. 



Picture St. Stephen preaching. Fra Angelico, Vatican. 



3. God Said . . Get Thee Out of Thy Country. 
" Once to every man and nation 
Comes the moment to decide, 
In the strife of Truth with Falsehood. 
For the good or evil side." — Lowell. 



Sealed Orders. — Frequently government ships sail with sealed 
orders. Till they arrive at a certain place they do not know where they 
are going, or what they are to do. So it was a year or two ago that 
some of our war vessels sailed out on the Pacific. So we go on our pil- 
grimage, not knowing just what the Lord has for us to do, or where he 
would have us go. 



A. D. 36,37. 

JERUSALEM. 

Stephen's 
Defense 

before tlie 
Sanhedrim. 

TIBERIUS, EMP. 
OF ROME, 
DIED MARCH 16, 
A. D. 37. 
CALIGULA SUC- 
CEEDED TO 
THE THRONE. 
PILATE DEPOSED 

AT CLOSE OF 
A. D. 36, AND NO 
GOVERNOR HAD 
YET REACHED 
JERUSALEM. 



Library. — Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is an excellent illustration 
of this pilgrimage. It almost seems as if he had taken his idea from 
this pilgrimage of Abraham, 



i 5 8 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VII: 8-18 



8. And he gave "him the covenant of circumcision ; and so Abraham begat Isaac, 
and circumcised him the eighth day ; and Isaae begat Jacob ; aud Jacob begat the 
twelve patriarchs. 

9. And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt ; but God was 
with him, 

10. And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom 
in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt 
and all his house. 

11. Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great 
affliction : and our fathers found no sustenance. 

12. But when Jacob beard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent our fathers first, 

13. Aud at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren ; and Joseph's 
kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. 

14. Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, 
threescore and fifteen souls. 

15. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, 

16. And were carried over into Sy'chem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham 
bought for a sum of money of the sons of Em'mor, the father of Sychem. 

17. But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abra- 
ham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 

18. Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. 



5. Yet He Promised. — " 'We have many promises.' say Christians, 
but sometimes they merely mean that they have heard many promises. 
Hearing is far from having. A rosebud is a promise of a rose, but if the 
heart of an iceberg received it, what blossom- promise would 
the iceberg have ? Sponge and water are promises of clean- How to 
liness, but allowed merely to rest on a dirty floor, they Possess the 
make nothing but mud. No man ever got hold of a prom Promises. . 
ise except in a seed state. Many are foolish enough to 
gloat with weak satisfaction over the seed, never planting it and carry- 
ing it on a perfect blossom. And often, also, they plant the promise in 
unhealthy, worm-infested, barren soil, and after waiting long for the 
first green leaves, declare the promise a cheat." — Golden Rule. 



9. Moved with Envy. — " Envy is the daughter of Pride, the author of 
Murder and Revenge, the perpetual tormenter of Virtue. Envy is the 
filthy slime of the soul ; a venom, a poison, a quicksilver, which con- 
sumeth the flesh and drieth up the bones." — Socrates. 



Envy. — 1. Plutarch compares envious persons to cupping glasses, 
which ever draw the worst humors of the body to them ; they are like 
flies, which resort only to the raw and corrupt parts of the body. — 
Foster's Cyc. III. 



VII: 19-26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 1 59 

* * 

19, The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil en- 
treated our fathers, so that they cast out their youug children, 
to the end they might not live. 

20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, 
and nourished up in his father's house three months: 

21. And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took Lim 
up and nourished him for her own son. 

22. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, 
and was mighty in words and in deeds. ^ >%> 

23. And when he was full forty years old, it came into his 
heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 

24. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that 
was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian : 

25. For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by His 
hand would deliver them ; but they understood not. 

26. And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would 
have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren ; why do ye wrong one 
to another? 



"Envy at others' good is evermore 
Malignant poison sitting on the soul ; 
A double woe to him infected with it. 
Of inward pain the heavy load he bears, 
At sight of joy without, he ever mourns." 

— Eschylus, in " Agamemnon." 
Reference, see historical cases of the effect of envy, under 17:5. 

Reference. But God was With Him. — A very interesting and 
illustrative tale, see under 23 : 1, in reference to Providence, entitled 
" Hands Off," and founded upon this incident of Joseph's life, is told 
by Rev. E. E. Hale in his Christmas in a Palace. 

15. And Died. — 

" As sinks the moaning river in the sea 
In silver peace, so sinks my soul in Thee ! " 
Library, Bryant's Thanatopsis. 

20. Exceedinc Fair (&<rT€ios tw 0ew\ — " Lit., fair unto God : a Hebrew 
superlative. 'Ao-reios, fair from cLo-tv, a town, and means originally 
town-bred; hence, refined, elegant, comely. The word is used in the 
Septuagint of Moses (Exod. ii. 2), and rendered goodly. The Jewish 
traditions extol Moses' beauty. Josephus says that those who met him, 
as he was carried along the streets, forgot their business and stood still 
to gaze at him." — Vincent's Word Studies. 



A. ». 36,37. 

JERUSALEM. 
Stephen's 
Address 
before tlie 
Sanhedrim. 
Appeal to 
Jewish 
History. 



i6o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VII : 19-26 



21. Pharaoh's Daughter. Note how Pharaoh's cruelty led to the 
salvation of the people from it. Moses would not have been hidden 
but for the cruel edict. Pharaoh's daughter would not have adopted 
him, if he had not been hidden by the Nile ; if Pharaoh's daughter had 
not adopted him, he would have missed many things needful for his 
great work. So fragrant and beautiful roses grow out of the vile soil. 
So rainbows are painted on the storm. 



Duty by the Way. — "Pharaoh's daughter went out to incidental 
duty. She strolled thoughtlessly along the river bank. But she was on an 
errand of the Almighty. So life's daily walks, its most ordinary pursuits, 
are surrounded, in Gods providence, by opportunities on which destinies 
may swing." — J. H. Vincent, D. D. 



23. It Came Into His Heart. — ' ' There may be something in the depth 
of the soul which afterward emerges and ascends from that sea into the 
heart as into an island." — Bengel. 



To Visit His Brethren. — This was the time when Moses "refused 
to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter ; choosing rather to be evil 
entreated with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures 
of sin for a season ; accounting the reproach of Christ Moses' 
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt . for he looked Choice, 
unto the recompense of reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, 
not fearing the wrath of the king : for he endured, as seeing Him who is 
invisible." We do not know what was the occasion of this great 
decision. He probably became acquainted with the needs of his people ; 
he realized the promises to them, and felt that the time was near.' 
There grew up a desire to help them, and a hope that he might be t 1 eir 
deliverer. But this he could not do without allying himself to them. 
Possibly he was required from his position to take part against the 
people, or to join in idolatrous ceremonies. But in some way he had 
come to the place where he must either wholly go with the Egyptians 
in religion and life, or he must choose God, the truth, and the afflicted 
people of God. 

On the one hand were the pleasures of the court, wealth, culture, 
intellectual society, popularity, ease, and possibly kingly station and 
power ; but also idolatry, immorality, uselessness, falsehood, loss of the 
promises, and a hopeless future. On the other were hardship, associa- 
tions with an ignorant, uncultured race, possible slavery, unpopularity, 
poverty, a hard and almost hopeless task, heavy burdens, and incessant 
toil. 

" To moil and toil till evening gray 
At thankless work, for scanty pay." 



VII : I9-26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



l6l 



But also on this side was the power to redeem his > fr 

people, and guide them to the promised land, to aid 
the kingdom of God in all ages, to be the friend of 
God, and the teacher of men, one of the chief figures 
in the history of the world, as the statue of Rameses 
towered above all others at his capital. Like most 
great decisions, it turned on some seemingly unim- 
portant act, but an act in view of which he must decide 
his whole future course. *i" 

It is probable that the first act resulting from this choice was his 
going to visit his brethren in the fields, and slaying the oppressor of one 
of them : an act which resulted in his banishment. 



A. D.36, 37. 

JERUSALEM. 
Stephen's 
Address 
before the 
Sanhedrim. 
Appeal to 
Jewish 
History. 



Pizarro's Choice. — Pizzaro, in his earlier attempts to conquer Peru, 
came to a time when all his followers were about to desert him. 
" Drawing his sword, he traced a line with it from east to west. Then, 
turning towards the south, ' Friends and comrades/ he said, ' on that 
side are toil, hunger, nakedness, the drenching storm, desertion and 
death , on this side, ease and pleasure. There lies Peru with all its 
riches , here, Panama and its poverty. Choose, each man, as becomes 
a brave Castilian. For my part I go to the south.' So saying, he stepped 
across the line. One after another, his followers followed him. This 
was the crisis of Pizarro's fate. There are moments in the lives of men 
which, as they are seized or neglected, decide their future destiny." — 
Prescotfs Conquest of Peru, L, 263-265. 



Hercules' Choice. — " When Moses was but a child, so the story 
runs, the king put upon his brow the royal diadem, in token that he 
ratified his adoption into the royal family. The child cast it con- 
temptuously on the ground and trampled on it with his feet." A beautiful 
legend is that ancient one representing Hercules choosing between the 
enticements of pleasure and the invitation of virtue. 



Cole's Picture — " Beautiful is that parabolic picture in which Thomas 
Cole, the artist, has represented the same truth upon canvass ; a rocky, 
precipitous mountain dividing the picture ; upon the right a road leading 
through flowery meadows toward a prospeet whose beauty, vailed in a 
golden haze, is suggestive of allurement ; on the left, a rugged path 
leading up the mountain side into clouds and darkness — the one the path 
of pleasure, and perdition, the other the path of duty, self-denial and 
achievement." — Abbott. 



Library. — The story of Hercules ' choice in Xenophon's Memorabilia, 
of Pizarro's choice in Prescott's Peru. 
11 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VII *. 27-35 



27. But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made 
thee a ruler and a judge over us? 

28. Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday? 

29. Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, 
where he begat two sons. 

30. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness 
of Mount Si'na an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 

31. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight : and as he drew near to behold 
it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, 

32. Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of A'braham, and the God of 
Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 

33. Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet : for the place 
where thou standest is holy ground. 

34. I have seen, 1 have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I 
have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I 
will send thee into Egypt. 

35. This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? 
the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which 
appeared to him in the bush. 



Examples. — Christ in the hour of His temptation. Luther's 
decision to go to the diet of Worms, well told in Carlyle's Heroes and 
Hero Worship. 

29, 30. A Stranger in the Land Forty Years. — The buds which 
burst out in bloom in the spring were formed in the pre- 
vious autumn, and needed the severe experience of the Silent 
winter, before they were ready for summer's blossoming. Processes 
Even in tropical climates they need a period of preparatory in Buds, 
rest. Hyacinth bulbs bloom best after they have been kept 
for some weeks in darkness. Many of our best thoughts and most cor- 
rect opinions take form and gain perfectness by what is called uncon- 
scious cerebration. 

Reference. — See under 1: 14, " The Ten Days of Waiting." 

Hardships. — Every sorrow shall be but the setting of some luminous 
jewel of joy. Our very mourning shall be but the enamel around the 
diamond ; our very hardships but the metallic rim that holds the opal, 
glancing with strange interior fire. — H. W. Beecher. 

Reference. — See several illustrations under xiv : 22, as " The Com- 
plaining Flute," and " The Best Possible World." 

Examples. — Elijah by the brook Cherith ; John the Baptist in the 
wilderness of Judea. Luther's Horeb was the period he spent in the 
Augustinian convent ; Knox's Horeb was his seventeen months in 
the French galley. — Hamilton. 



VII: 27-35 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



163 



30. A Flame of Fire in a Bush. — It is a symbol 
of God's people in the flames of affliction and persecu- 
tion. His church is unconsumed, and the flames but 
attract men to it, and make them feel the presence of 
God. It is like the three men in the fiery furnace 
of Nebuchadnezzar, which caused Babylon to see the 
Son of God there. 

" Far seen across the sandy wild, 
While, like a solitary child. 

He thoughtless roamed and free, 
One towering thorn was wrapt in flame 
Bright without blaze it went and came : 
Who would not turn and see ? " 

— Keble's Christian Year. 
It is a symbol of every child of God in his fiery trials. 

" The flame shall not hurt thee : I only design 
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine." 
It is a symbol of the Bible in the flames of adverse criticism and attack. 
The flame appearing in a common bush is a symbol of God's presence 
everywhere in the commonest things. 

" Earth's crammed with heaven, 
And every common bush afire with God ; 
But only he who sees takes off his shoes : 
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries." 

_____ — Mrs. Browning. 

33. The Place is Holy Ground. — In Whittier's beautiful poem, 
" The Chapel of the Hermits," he represents one as seeking the Holy 
Land, and finding at last that 

" Oh friend, we need not rock nor sand, 
Nor storied stream of Morning-land. 
The heavens are glassed in Merrimac, 
What more could Jordan render back?" 

" This maple ridge shall Horeb be, 
Yon green-banked lake our Galilee." 

" Our common daily life divine, 
And every land a Palestine." 

" Henceforth my heart shall sigh no more, 
For olden time and holier shore ; 
God's love and blessing then and there 
Are now, and here, and everywhere." 

— J. G. Whittier. 



A.D. 36,37. 

JERUSALEM. 
Stephen's 
Address 
before the 
Sanhedrim. 
Appeal to 
Jewish 
History. 

* * 



164 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VII : 36-43 



36. He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the 
land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. 

87. "I This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A Prophet 
shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him 
shall ye hear. 

38. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which 
spake to him in the Mount Sinai, aud with our fathers: who received the lively 
oracles to give unto us : 

39. To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in 
their hearts turned back again into Egypt, 

40. Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us : for as for this Moses, 
which brought us out of the laud of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 

'41. And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and 
rejoiced in the works f their own hands. 

42. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven : as it is 
written in the book of the prophets, 0 ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me 
slain beasts and sacrifices oy the apace of forty years in the wilderness? 

43. Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Mo'loch, and the star of your god Rem'- 
phan, figures which ye made to worship them ; and I will carry you away beyond 
Bab'ylon. 



Wise Woman of Medina. — The wise woman of Medina travelled 
many years and over many countries to find God, but she sought in 
vain, and returned home to her daily duties. But there, in the routine 
of daily life at home, God appeared to her, and showed her that He was 
ever near, if only she would see. 

36. In the Wilderness Forty Years. — The reason is given by 
Moses in Deuteronomy viii : 2. It was ' ' to humble thee, and to prove thee, 
to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His com- 
mandments or no." The people had shown by their conduct, and 
especially in reference to the reports of the spies, that they were not fit 
to take possession of their promised land, nor to use it aright if they 
should gain possession. They were prepared for their future by a long 
course of varied discipline. (1) They had great mercies and helps,— 
the tabernacle, regular worship and religious instruction, the 
daily manna, water from the rock, the guiding pillar, the Discipline 
Shekinah over the tabernacle whence God spoke, the writ- of Proba- 
ten law, noble leaders. All these things are a part of the tion and 
discipline. God does everything to help His people. (2) Education, 
They had some great trials, — they had times of hunger 
and thirst ; sickness and death were among them : severe punishment 
for rebellion ; long ana tedious delays, for it would have been as easy 
to reach Canaan in forty weeks as in forty years. 

All those things were both a probation and an education. All this 



VII: 36-43 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



165 



time God "bare them as a nursing-father in the *P 

wilderness" (Acts 13:18, margin of R. V.). The 
people were treated and trained as little children. 

All their misfortunes and their long delay were the 
fruit of unbelief (Heb. 3 : 19). They would not trust 
God. "Some one has said that it takes God much 
longer to prepare us for a blessing than it does to give 
it when we are ready to receive it." — Sarah Smiley. 

Our lives are like this forty years in the wilderness. 
The life of sin is like the Egyptian bondage. The exodus is like the new 
birth. That is but the beginning of the Christian life. We are pressing 
on to the promised land of a perfect life. We are not yet fit for heaven. 
God gives us helps and mercies as many and as bright as the stars. He 
leads us in strange ways. He sends trials. By all these things he is 
training and preparing us with loving care for our eternal home. 



41. They Made a Calf in Those Days. — Have we made any calves? 
Ah, many. We have been great at idol-making. Can I count the 
calves we have worshipped ? the unholy catalogue : Pride, Fashion, 
Gluttony, Self-indulgence, Wealth, Station, Influence, Appearances, — 
all calves of our making, calves of gold. — Joseph Parker. 
Whatever we make first in our heart's love, that is our God. Idols of 
That to which we sacrifice precious things is our God. the Heart. 
Whosoever gives up God's commandments, or right, or 
honor, or truth, or character, or usefulness, for the sake of any gain or 
of attaining any end, is an idolator. 



Pulverizing the Golden Calf. — " In the Sunday-School Times for 
June 23, 1888, is an excellent article on the pulverizing of the golden 
calf. It is exceedingly difficult to pulverize pure gold, " and it cannot be 
done by any means now known." " The admixture of small proportions 
of certain metals, notably lead, arsenic, antimony, and tin, will at once 
render gold refractory and more or less brittle." (Quicksilver is some- 
times rubbed into a gold ring to make it brittle, when it is neces- 
sary to break it from a finger.) Especially was tin common and 
used by the ancients as an alloy. Now tin, in certain proportions, 
will render gold alloys not merely brittle, but as friable as glass. There 
are even some forms of bronze so brittle that an ingot or image formed 
of them will burst into pieces when struck with a hammer, or when 
dropped upon a stone pavement. It is well known at the government 
mint that a small piece of bronze cent-metal, accidentally dropped into 
a large melt of standard gold, has ruined it for proper working in the 
mechanical operations of coinage. The deposits of old jewelry which 



A. D. 36, 37. 

JERUSALEM. 
Stephen's 
Address 
before the 
Sanhedrim. 
Appeal to 
Jewish 
History. 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VII : 44-53 



44. Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had 
appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion 
that he had seen. 

45. Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the pos- 
session of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto 
the days of David ; 

46. Who found favor before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of 
Jacob. 

47. But Solomon built him a house. 

48. Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith 
the prophet, 

49. Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool : what house will ye build 
me? saith the Lord : or what is the place of my rest? 

50. Hath not my hand made all these things ? 

51 If Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the 
Holy Ghost : as your fathers did, so do ye. 

52. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have 
slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One ; of whom ye have 
been now the betrayers and murderers : 

53. Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. 



are daily brought to the mint, form, when melted and cast into bars, one 
of the most refractory of all forms of gold alloys." Such bars often 
"break like pipe clay ; " and, hard as the metal often is, there is no way 
for the assayer to handle small samples of it but by putting a piece of 
the alloy into a steel mortar, and literally pounding and grinding it to 
powder. The embrittling elements are generally in the solder or "fill- 
ing " of the jewelry. Now, the golden calf was made from jewelry, 
and it is quite probable that all the jewelry was not made of pure 
gold. Or Moses may have used tin when he melted the idol." — From 
Patterson Du Bois. 



53. The Disposition of Angels. — Siara-yas ayy&w, an arrangement 
or disposition as of troops in an army, or of duties and services, hence 
ordinance, something ordained or arranged by angels. 



46. David Desired to Find a Tabernacle for God. — " I do not see 
the cathedral as yet, when I go into the confused quarry-yard and see 
there the half- wrought stones, the clumsy blocks that are by and by to 
be decorated capitals. But when at last they are finished in form and 
brought together, the mighty building rises in the air, an 
ever-enduring psalm in rock. I do not see the picture yet, Desires 
when I look upon the palette with its blotches and stains to be 
and lumps of color. By and by, when the skillful brush of Realized. 



VII: 54 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 167 



54. T[ When they heard these things, they were cut to the 
heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. 



the painter has distributed those colors, I see the 
radiant beauty of the Madonna, the pathos of the 
Magdalene ; I see the beauty of the landscape spread 
out upon the canvas, with meadow, and hill, and 
winding stream, and the splendors of the sunset 
crowning, the whole. I do not see yet the perfect 
kingdom of God upon earth, but I see the colors which are to blend in it. 
I see the already half-chiseled rock out of which it shall be wrought ; 
and I am not going to despond now, when so much already has been 
accomplished." — R. S. Storrs. 



" Whatever obstacles control, 
Thine hour will come ; go on, true soul. 
Thou'lt win the prize, thou'lt reach the goal." 



47. Solomon Built Him an House. — The best model of the Temple 
I have ever seen is the one sent from England to Mr. 
Dwight L. Moody, and placed in his school at Northfield, Model 
Mass. It is said to have cost $3,000. A similar one belongs of the 
to Mr. Thomas Newberry, Alexander Villa, Weston-Super- Temple. 
Mare, England. Fine drawings of another idea of the 
Temple can be found in the expensive work of T. O. Paine. 



Building God's House. 
"The hand that rounded Peter's dome 
And groined the aisles of Christian Kome 
Wrought in sad sincerity — 
Himself from God he could not free. 
He builded better than he knew ; 
The conscious stone to beauty grew. 
Earth proudly wears the Parthenon 
As the best gem upon her zone, 
And Morning opes with haste her lids 
To gaze upon the pyramids. 
These temples grew as grows the grass ; 
Art might obey, but not surpass ; 
The passive master lend his hand 
To the vast soul that o'er him planned." 

— -R. W. Emerson. 



A.D.36,37. 

Stephen's 
Address 
before the 
Sanhedrim. 
The Elders 
Charged 
with 
Murdering 
their 
Messiah. 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VII : 55, 56 



55. But be, being full of tbe Holy Gbost, looked up steadfastly iuto beaven, and 
saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on tbe right hand of God, 

56. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on 
the right hand of God. 



54. Cut to the Heart. SieirpiovTo ivere sawn, 8id through, or asunder, 
all cut up. Passion raged against passion, and passion against reason. 
Their hearts were distracted, torn with rage. 



Crime of Persecution. — The lesson of liberty is one of the hardest 
the world has ever tried to learn. That men should persecute those 
who imperil their position, their office, their business, their cherished 
opinions, is natural, but none the less a crime. But good men have 
persecuted others with the sincerest motives. That, too, is a crime. 
Let truth have free course, and cope with error. Make error itself, by 
its attacks, the means of making the truth known, proclaiming it upou 
the housetops. But it is well to have a clear idea of what persecution 
is and is not. And it is necessary that truth should speak, and not keep 
silence. 

Reference. — Cut to the heart. See on 5 : 33. 



56. I See the Heavens Opened. — Bunyan tells us that when the two 
pilgrims of his great allegory looked through the perspec- 
tive glass of the shepherds they were exhilarated and Pilgrim's 
equipped anew for life ; his words are : " As they held the View of 
glass and brought it to bear on the gates of the Celestial Heavenly 
City, their hands did shake ; yet they thought they saw City, 
something like a gate opening into the city, and also some 
of the glory of the place ; and they went forward singing on their way/' 



God's Holy Spirit, 
" Enables with perpetual light 
The dullness of our blinded sight." 



Visions from Pillows of Stone. — The Valley of Humiliation and 
the Shadow of Death was the way to the land of Beulah and the Delec- 
table Mountains. 

Often from a pillow of stones come the brightest visions of the soul. 
From weariness and pain and trouble arise the steps that lead to heaven. 
Paul from a Roman prison saw his crown of righteousness. Life's Pis- 



VII : 55. 5 6 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



69 



gahs and Mounts of Transfiguration are built of the 
hard rocks of affliction and trial. This is finely ex- 
pressed in the hymn, "Nearer, my God, to thee." 

" The soul's dark cottage, battered and decayed 
Lets in new light through chinks that time has 
made. " 



A. D. 36j 37. 

Stephen 
before the 
Sanhedrim. 
His 
Vision. 



Insight into Realities. — That which Stephen saw through the 
opened heavens was a greater reality than the angry Sanhedrim or the 
stones in the valley. These were the veil, the others the realities beyond 
it. These were the enclosing fog, the others the real scenes hidden 
within it, and enduring forever after the mists had rolled away. God, 
heaven, eternity, spiritual things, are far more real than this world's 
gold or cares or pleasures. We need insight, the blinds of the soul 
thrown open, the windows cleansed, the veil parted, the spiritual ear- 
trumpet to hear, the telescope to see with, so that we may live in the 
presence of the great realities of life. 



Reference. — See under 28:31, Paul's experience when about to 
finish his course (2 Tim. 4 : 6-8) compared with the experience of Dr. 
Payson in his last hours. 



Damascus Tunnel Leading to a Palace. — " In Damascus there is a 
long, dark, narrow lane, ending in a tunnel. It has been there forages. 
The traveler descends and passes through ; but on the other side he 
emerges into the courtyard of an Oriental palace, flashing with color 
and sunlight. This is a figure of a believer's death. Christ is called 
" the first-born from the dead," and dying, to the Christian, is but being 
born out of the darkness and limitations of earth, into the glorious 
light and liberty of heaven." — F. B. Meyer. 

" Thy presence makes my paradise, ' 
And where thou art is heaven." 



How the Experience was Prepared for. — It was only by Ste- 
phen's past experience and holy life that he could behold this vision. 
"Turner once went out to see a very beautiful bit of country, and he 
forgot himself so entirely that finally a young apprentice who was with 
him said, 'I don't see anything particular in that.' 'No,' said Mr. 
Turner, ' but don't you wish you did ? ' And when the Spirit of God 
comes upon us, we begin to see as we never saw before." — Henry 
Montgomery. 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VII : 55, 56 



How to Play Good Music. — "Said a young man to a musician, 
'Tell me how to play the sonata of Beethoven in that true spirit.' Said 
the musician, ' You ask too much of -me ; yet I will do what I can. 
What do you play now ?' ' Nothing,' was the reply. ' My friend,' said 
the musician, 4 how shall I tell you how to play Beethoven when it is 
not your habit to play anything at all ? To know how to play Bee- 
thoven, you must first know how to play.' " — Geo. W. Cable. 

" Good Men are like hill tops which catch the first beams of the sun's 
rising. They get the earliest glimpses of the coming glory of the Lord." 
" Are indeed our pillar fires 
Seen as we go ; 
They are the city's shining spires 
We travel to." 



There is such a thing as Jeremy Taylor, in one of his chapters on 44 Holy 
Living," calls the 44 Practice of the Presence of God." — A. T. Pier son. 



A Dying Experience. — " Note the wonderful power of the sense of 
smell in dogs, and of sight in the Bedouin and the Indians. So the 
sense of touch in Laura Bridgman and Helen Kellar is marvelously 
beyond our touch. I select one of many cases known to me. Miss A. 
B. was dying of consumption. Within a short time of her death, a 
radiance suddenly overspread her face, as if a gleam of morning sun- 
shine had fallen upon it. She cried out in a rapture of joy, " O my 
Saviour, I am coming,' and, turning to her friends, said, ' Do you not 
see him ? It is heaven to see him.' " — Alexander B. Grosart, D.D., LL. D. 



Trinity Chimes in a Busy Day. — 44 While on Broadway, New York, 
I have heard many times the chimes of Trinity church steeple pour 
out their music at noonday. But I have noticed that very few of the 
busy crowds on the busy streets followed the music. There are too 
many sounds disputing with the chimes the possession of the ear. I 
tried to follow the sacred song that was pealing through the air, but 
note after note was lost in the roar of the city, and in the noise and rat- 
tle of the wheels of commerce. There are hours, however, when the 
chimes of Trinity church steeple are heard in all their power and 
emphasis without a break. These are the midnight hours of solitude." 
— David Gregg, D. D., in Our Best Moods. 

" To blind old Milton's rayless orbs 
A light divine is given, 
And deaf Beethoven hears the hymns 
And harmonies of heaven." 



VII : $7, 58 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



171 



57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their 
ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 

58. And cast liim out of the city, and stoned him : and the 
witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose 
name was Saul. 



A. l>. 36,37. 
Stephen 
Stoned 
without 

the 
Walls of 
Jerusalem. 



The Stronger the Opposition, the Higher the 
Experience. — "As the fury of the persecutors increased, so did the 
ecstasy of the martyr. The blast of their wrath against him, like the 
wind against a kite, carried him higher toward heaven. He saw 
' the glory of God and Jesus.' The two lie close together, to Stephen 
they blended in one. If the glory of God were to appear without Jesus 
the spirit would fail. 'The Lamb is the light' of heaven. An uproar 
ensued. The peace and triumph of the martyrs has always had an 
effect upon the persecutors. The drums were beaten to drown the last 
words of the Scottish covenanters. ' Argyle's sleep ' on the night before 
his execution made his enemies' blood run cold." — W. Arnot, D. D. 



58. A Young Man's Feet, Whose Name was Saul. — " Though the 
man was murdered, the truth which he spake cannot be 
killed. Here is the real Phoenix ; for when its enemies have The 
thought they have burned it in burning its preacher, it has Phoenix, 
risen from the flames with new strength of wing to take 
a wider and loftier flight " (in Saul). — Wm. M. Taylor. 



The Wesley Monument, — John and Charles Wesley are buried in 
Westminster Abbey, and on their monument is this inscription : " God 
buries the worker, but carries on the work." 



Pilgrim's Progress from a Prison. — Bunyan was shut up in prison 
twelve years in the prime of his life. He longed to preach. Thousands 
longed to hear him, and yet twelve of his best years were taken out 
from his life work. What a mystery ! But during that time he wrote 
the Pilgrim's Progress, little dreaming of its value. And through that 
he has been preaching for ages instead of years, and to millions instead 
of thousands, So Stephen's death led to the conversion to Paul, and 
by his own history and by the words of Paul, Stephen has been preach- 
ing all down the centuries. 



Wheat in Midlothian. — An Edinburgh gentleman told me that the 
best wheat in Midlothian, that wheat-growing region, was mummy 
wheat. It had its origin in some grains found in a mummy case. 



172 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VII : 59, 60 



59. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and sayiug, Lord Jesus, receive 
my spirit. 

60. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this <-in to 
their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 



Spanish Painting of Stephen on His Way to Execution. — " A 
Spanish painter, in a picture of Stephen conducted to the place of 
execution, has represented Saul as walking by the martyr's side with 
melancholy" calmness. He consents to his death from a sincere, though 
mistaken sense of duty ; and the expression of his countenance is 
strongly contrasted with the rage of the baffled Jewish doctors and the 
ferocity of the crowd who flocked to this scene of bloodshed. Literally 
considered, such a representation is scarcely consistent either with 
Saul's conduct immediately afterwards, or with his own expressions 
concerning himself at the later periods of his life. But that picture, 
though historically incorrect, is poetically true. The painter has 
worked according to the true idea of his art in throwing upon the 
persecutor's countenance the shadow of his coming repentance, We 
cannot dissociate the martyrdom of Stephen from the conversion of 
Paul. The spectacle of so much constancy, so much faith, so much 
love, could not be lost. It is hardly too much to say with Augustine, 
'the Church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen.'" — Conybeare and 
How son. 

Pictures. — Martyrdom of St. Stephen, by Fra. Angelico, Vatican; 
by Giorgione, Verona ; Stoning of Stephen by Rembrandt. 



60. Fell Asleep (Ikoijjl^St].) — " Marking his calm and peaceful death. 
Though the pagan authors sometimes used sleep to signify death, it was 
only as a poetic figure. When Christ, on the other hand, said, 'Our 
friend Lazarus sleepetii (K€KoijiT)Taiy he used the word, not as a figure, 
but as the expression of a fact. In that mystery of death, in which 
the pagan saw only nothingness, Jesus saw continued life, rest, waking 
— the elements which enter into sleep, And thus, in Christian speech 
and thought, as the doctrine of the resurrection struck its roots deeper, 
the word dead, with its hopeless finality, gave place to the more 
gracious and hopeful word sleep. The pagan burying-place carried in 
its name no suggestion of hope or comfort. It was a burying-place, 
a, hiding-place, monumentum, a mere memorial of something gone; a 
columbarium, or dove-cot, with its little pigeon-holes for cinerary urns ; 
but the Christian thought of death as sleep, brought with it into Chris- 
tian speech the kindred thought of a chamber of rest, and embodied it 



VII : 59> 60 TI1E ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



173 



in the word cemetery (KoiprrTipiov) — the place to lie 4* 

down to sleep." — M. R. Vincent, Word Studies. 

The one who sleeps is alive, and awakes the same 
person who lay down to sleep. 



59. And They Stoned Stephen.— When Savonarola 
stood at his funeral pile on the great square of Flor- 
ence, before his burning, on May 23, 1498, and the Bishop spoke the 
words of ecclesiastical excommunication, " I separate thee 
from the Church," the martyr's face lighted up joyously Savonarola, 
as he responded: " From the church militant, but not from 
the church triumphant." 



Picture of Sebastian. — In the Pitti gallery of Florence is a picture 
of St. Sebastian fastened to a tree with the death arrows sticking in his 
body, but also there are two angels sweeping down from heaven bear- 
ing a crown. 



Cross Fading Before the Crown. — I once saw a little picture by a 
young friend, representing a bright crown with a fading cross in the 
background. Underneath was the legend : 

" Bidding my heart look up, not down, 
While the cross fades before the crown." 



Picture, " Ad Leones." — In one of Dore's famous pictures in his gal- 
lery in London, called Ad Leones, martyrs are being thrown to the lions 
in a Roman amphitheatre. They are weaponless : high walls are on 
every side ; multitudes crowd the seats around them ; the whole Roman 
power prevents their escape. But the artist bids us look up. The star- 
lit sky is full of angels bearing the redeemed souls to heaven with 
crowns and songs of victory. 



Monument of the Leighs. — On the monument of James and Wil- 
liam Leigh, the late heads of the largest Sunday-school: in the world, at 
Stockport, Eng., is this inscription : 

The Master bids, Leave work to-day for new work and for rest. 

On the monument of Edwin Horton, Attleboro, Mass., is written : 

What to us is sunset, to him is dawn. 



The Victory of the Vanquished. — The death of Stephen was but 
another example of what so frequently happens, that the real victory is 
on the side that seems defeated. " The Jewish priests and leaders seem 



A.». 36,37. 
Stephen 
Stoned 
without 

the 
Walls of 
Jerusalem. 



174 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VII : 59, 60 



to have prevailed. But they were the conquered, not the conquering, 
party." So in the seeming victory of Satan and the world when Christ 
w T as crucified, there was real defeat. The mightiest blow against the 
kingdom of evil was struck by that apparent victory. "The blood of 
the martyrs is the seed of the church." The great Paul was the fruit of 
this "defeat." The persecution that followed scattered the disciples, 
each one a burning and a shining light, over the whole country. So 
Bunker Hill monument commemorates a defeat that was a real victory. 



The Sun Not Set. — "When Jabez Bunting, one of the greatest of 
Wesley's disciples, died, a minister of the Methodist denomination, in 
preaching his funeral sermon, closed a glowing peroration by saying : 
•When Bunting died the sun of Methodism set,' A plain man in the 
audience immediately shouted : ' Glory be to God ! that is a lie ! ' " — Wm. 
L. Taylor, D. D. 



Reference. — See under 12 : 2 on the martyrdom of James. 



Lord Jesus Receive My Spirit. — " During the last two or three years 
of Rev. Rowland Hill's life, he very frequently repeated the following 
lines of a well known poet 

" ' And when I'm to die, Rowland 
Receive me, I'll cry, Hill. 

For Jesus has loved me, I cannot tell why ; 
But this I can find : 
We two are so joined, 

That he'll not be in glory and leave me behind.' 

"When he was lying on his death-bed unconscious, a friend put his 
mouth close to his ear, and slowly repeated his favorite lines : 

" ' And when I'm to die, 
Receive me, I'll cry,' etc. 

The light came back to his fast-fading eye, a smile overspread his face, 
and his lips moved in vain attempt to articulate the words. This was 
the last sign of consciousness he ever gave. We could almost wish that 
every disciple of Christ would commit these lines, quaint as they are, to 
memoiy, and weave them into the web of his Christian experience. 
Confidence in Christ and undeviating adherence to Him, can alone enable 
us to triumph in life and death." — Belcher 's Life of Whitefield. 

" Weep not," said Edward the Confessor when dying, "I shall not 
die but live ; and as I leave the land of the dying I trust to see the 
blessings of the Lord in the land of the living." 



VII : 59> 60 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



175 



No, no, it is not dying, 
To go unto our God, 
This gloomy earth forsaking, 
Our journey homeward taking 
Along the starry road." 

— From Geo. D. Boardman's 

Sermon on Immortality. 



A.B. 36,37. 
Stephen 
Stoned 
wi tli out 

the 
Walls of 
Jerusalem. 



60. Lord, Lay Not This Sin to Their Charge. — " During Mr. Wes- 
ley's voyage to America with General Oglethorpe he heard 
the ge'neral make a great noise in the cabin, and learned Wesley's 
from the general that he had had trouble with a servant. Reproof of 
• But I'll be revenged on him. I've ordered him to be tied the Unfor- 
hand and foot and carried to the man-of-war which sails giving, 
with us. The rascal should have taken care how he used 
me, for I never forgive.' 'Then, sir,' said Mr. Wesley, 'I hope you 
never sin.' The reproof was enough." — R. R. Doherty, Ph. D. 



He Fell Asleep. — "If Christ had done nothing more for humanity 
than give to it this word ' sleep ' in place of ' death,' He would have 
been the greatest of benefactors. " — T. T. Manger. ' ' Ceme- 
tery" means "sleeping-place." We are taught by this Death 
expression of Christ's that death does not end all ; that there a Sleep, 
is to be a resurrection, an awakening ; that death does not 
change character any more than a night's rest changes it ; but we may 
awake under better environments, better influences. 



The Three Crowns. — Stephen's name signifies in Greek, A crown. 
He received three crowns. (1) The beautiful crown of grace with 
which the Lord adorned him. (2) The bloody crown of thorns, which, 
like his Saviour, he wore in suffering and in death. (3) The heavenly 
crown of honor. — Strauss. 

' When these earthly years are past and gone, 
Temptation's battle fought, the victory won, 
From heaven shall gently come this message down, — 
They that have borne the cross shall win a crown 
Never to fade ! " 



" He liveth long who liveth well ; 
All other life is short and vain ; 
He liveth longest who can tell 
Of living most for heavenly gain." 



176 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VII : 59, 60 



The Choir Invisible. 

" O may I join the choir invisible 
Of those immortal dead who live again 
In minds made better by their presence ; live 
In pulses stirred to generosity, 
In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn 
For miserable aims that end with self, 
In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars, 
And with their mild persistence urge man's search 
To vaster issues." — George Eliot. 



Modern Martyrs. — One of the strangest things, as we look over 
the part centuries, and trace the history of God's people, is the vision 
of so many persecuted ones, so many of the prophets and saints suffer- 
ing as martys. The sky is full of these shining stars. So, standing 
beside St. John as he gazed into heaven, we hear one of the elders 
saying, " What are these which are arrayed in white robes ? and whence 
came they ? " And he said, ' ' These are they which came out of great 
tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the 
blood of the Lamb." The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is a picture- 
gallery of these martyr-heroes. But there are many not yet known to 
history, but whose names are recorded in heaven, who in humble 
homes, in retired sick-rooms, in the recesses of their own hearts, have 
been crucified on unseen crosses, and burned with invisible flames, and 
been victors in silent battles, — these, too, belong to the noble army of 
the martyrs. 

" These, though their names appear not on the scroll 
Of martyrologists, laid down their life 
Not less a martyrdom in Jesus' eyes — 
For his dear brethren's sake, watching the couch 
Of loathsome sickness, or of slow decay, 
Or visiting the captive in his cell, 
Or struggling with a burden not their own 
Until their weary life-strings wore away — 
These, too, are martyrs, brother." 

— Bickersteth. 

These declare to the whole world the value of the religion of Jesus, 
the greatness of his love, the preciousness of his truth. They are in- 
sensibly moulding the character of God's people. They comfort those 
now suffering for righteousness' sake with the assurance that they are 
not suffering in vain. 



VII : 59» 6° THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



177 



The Victory. <i> * 

" For all thy saints who from their labors rest, 
Who thee by faith, before the world confessed, 
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blessed. 

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress, and 

their Might ; 
Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought 

fight; 

Thou in the darkness drear their one true Light. 

Oh, may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold, 
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old, 
And win with them the victor's crown of gold. 

Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine ; 
We feebly struggle ; they in glory shine ; 
Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. 

For, lo ! there breaks a yet more glorious day ; 
The saints triumphant rise in bright array ; 
The King of glory passes on his way ! 

From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, 
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, 
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
'Hallelujah.'" 

— W. W. How. 



The Bugle Sounding Taps, and the words which have descended 
from time immemorial among soldiers : 

' ' Love, good night ! 

Must thou go 
When the day and the night 

Need thee so ? 
All is well ! Hasten all 

To their rest ! " 

12 



A. D. 36, 37. 
Stephen 
Sto ned 
without 

the 
Walls of 
Jerusalem. 



i;8 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VIII: I 



CHAPTER VIII. 



1. And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time 
there was a great persecution against the church which was 
at Jerusalem ; and they were all scattered abroad throughout 
the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 



A. ». 37. 

JERUSALEM. 




1. Persecution. — 8107110$, from Suokw, to cause to 
run, and also to run swiftly in order to catch some 
person. Both ideas are included in persecution. 

Scattered Abroad. — 8i€(nrdpT]<rav, from 8id, thoroughly, throughout, 
in all directions, and o-ir€ipa>, to sow, to scatter like seed. They were as 
seed scattered in all directions. 



1. There Was a Great Persecution. — The church is like the three 
men in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, all unharmed because the Son of God 
was with them. Like Venus, it was born from the foam of an ocean of 
opposition ; like Hercules, it had to strangle the serpents which assailed 
it even in its cradle. 



Christian Martyrs in Africa. — In a letter to the son in-law of Dr. 
Livingstone, Henry M. Stanley bears testimony to the effect of the Gos- 
pel on converts in the heart of Africa, at once a testimony to the success 
of missionary operations in the Dark Continent, and the genuineness of 
the faith of the native converts: " I take this powerful body of native 
Christians in the heart of Africa — who prefer exile for the sake of their 
faith to serving a monarch indifferent or hostile to their faith — as more 
substantial evidence of the work than any number of imposing struc- 
tures clustered together, and called a mission station, would be. These 
native Africans have endured the most deadly persecutions — the stake 
and the fire, the cord and the club, the sharp knife and the rifle bullet 
have been tried, to cause them to reject the teachings they have 
absorbed. Staunch in their beliefs, firm in their convictions, they have 
held together stoutly and resolutely." — Henry M. Stanley. 



Pliny's Letter to Trajan. — We gain some idea of the persecutions 
from the letter of Pliny, the Roman author and lawyer, to the Emperor 
Trajan. Pliny was made governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor, and 
wrote this letter in A. D. 112, seventy-five years after the persecution 



VIII: I 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



179 



described in this chapter. Prof. Ramsay regards it as 4* 

undoubtedly genuine, although it was " found in | a. ». 37. 
Paris about 1500, apparently taken to Italy in the next 
few years, used by several persons before 1508, and 
never since seen or known." 

" Pliny, to the Emperor Trajan, wisheth health and 

happiness It is my constant custom, sir, to refer 4* »J« 

myself to you in all matters concerning which I 
have any doubt ; for who can better direct me where I hesitate, 
or instruct me where I am ignorant? I have never been present at 
any trials of Christians, so that I know not well what is the subject- 
matter of punishment, or of enquiry, or what strictness ought to be 
used in either Nor have I been a little perplexed to determine whether 
any difference ought to be made on account of age, or whether the 
young and tender, and the full grown and robust, ought to be treated 
all alike ; whether repentance should entitle to pardon, or whether all 
who have once been Christians ought to be punished, though they are 
now no longer so ; whether the name itself, although no crime be 
detected, or crimes only belonging to the name, ought to be punished, 
Concerning all these things I am in doubt. 

"In the meantime I have taken this course with all who have been 
brought before me, and have been accused as Christians. Upon their 
confessing to me that they were, I repeated my question a second time, 
and a third time, threatening also to punish them with death. Such as 
still persisted I ordered away to be punished ; for it was no matter of 
doubt with me, whatever might be the nature of their opinion, that con- 
tumacy and inflexible obstinacy ought to be punished. There were 
others of the same infatuation, whom, because they are Roman citizens, 
I have noted down to be sent to the city. 

" In a short time, the crime spreading itself, even while under perse- 
cution, as is usual in such cases, divers sorts of people came in my way. 
An information was presented to me, without mentioning the author, 
containing the names of many persons, who upon examination, denied 
that they were Christians, or had ever been so ; who repeated after me 
an invocation of the gods, and with wine and frankincense made sup- 
plication to your image, which, for that purpose, I had caused to be 
brought and set before them, together with the statues of the deities. 
Moreover, they reviled the name of Christ, none of which things, as is 
said, they who are real Christians can by any means be compelled to do. 
These, therefore, I thought proper to discharge. Others were named 
by an informer, who at first confessed themselves Christians, and after- 
wards denied it ; the rest said they had been Christians, but had left 
them — some three years ago, some longer, and one or more, above 
twenty years. They all worshiped your image, and the statues of the 



J CtS. U D-rt-L-CiVj.. 

Persecu- 
tion. 

CALIGULA, 
EMPEROR. 



i8o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VIII: I 



gods ; these also reviled Christ. They affirmed that the whole of their 
fault or error lay in this, that they were wont to meet together on a 
stated day, before it was light, and sing among themselves, alternately 
a hymn to Christ as God, and to bind themselves by a Sacramentum, 
not to the commission of any wickedness but — not to be guilty of theft, 
or robbery, or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor to deny a 
pledge committed to them when called upon to return it. When these 
things were performed, it was their custom to separate, and then come 
together again to a meal, which they ate in common without any dis- 
order, but this they had forborne since the publication of my edict, by 
which, according to your commands, I prohibited assemblies. 

"Upon receiving this account, I judged it the more necessary to 
examine, and that by torture, two maid servants, which were called 
ministers (Rom. xvi. 1). But I have discovered nothing besides an evil 
and excessive superstition. Suspending, therefore, all judicial pro- 
ceedings, I have recourse to you for advice ; for it has appeared unto 
me a matter highly deserving consideration, especially upon account of 
the great number of persons who are in danger of suffering ; for many 
of all ages, and every rank, of both sexes likewise, are accused and will 
be accused. Nor has the contagion of this superstition seized cities 
only, but the smaller towns also, and the open country. Nevertheless, 
it seems to me that it may be restrained and corrected. It is certain 
that the temples, which were almost forsaken, begin to be more 
frequented, and the sacred solemnities, after a long intermission, are 
revived. Victims, likewise, are everywhere bought up, whereas for 
some time there were few purchasers. Whence it is easy to imagine 
what numbers of people might be reclaimed if pardon were granted 
to those who shall repent.'' 

To the above letter Pliny received the annexed reply : 

" Trajan to Pliny wisheth health and happiness. 

"You have taken the right method, my Pliny, in your proceedings 
with those who have been brought before you as Christians ; for it is 
impossible to establish any one rule that shall hold uni- 
Trajan's versally. They are not to be sought for. If any are brought 
Reply. before you, and are convicted, they ought to be punished. 

However, he that denies his being a Christian, and makes it 
evident in fact ; that is, by supplicating to our gods (though he be 
suspected of having been so formerly) may be pardoned upon repentance; 
but in no case, of any crime, whatever, may a bill of information be 
received without being signed by him who presents it, for that would 
be a dangerous precedent, and unworthy of my government.'" 



Persecutions Under Nero. — Another example may be given from 
the reign of Nero (a. d. 54-68). " Tacitus tells us that some Christians 



VIII: I 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



181 



were crucified. Others were sewed up in skins to 

resemble wild animals, and fierce hunting dogs were 
let loose upon them. Others were covered with in- 
flammable material, dipped in pitch, and elevated on 
poles to serve as torches to illuminate the garden of 
Nero in which races were held." "On the stage it 
often happened that the play ended literally with the 
death of the actors. For such characters criminals 
were used. Many of the myths were dramatized and exhibited as 
living pictures. Some of the Christians were used for this purpose also. 
Dirce, the enchantress, had used her art on Antiope, but her two sons 
avenged their mother by tying Dirce to the horns of a wild bull, and 
causing her to be dragged to death. This story of Dirce has been 
represented in plastic art in the famous group known as the Farnese 
Bull. This had been dramatized, and Christian girls and women were 
compelled to play the part of Dirce, being tied to the horns of the in- 
furiated beasts, and were dashed to death as they rushed about the 
arena. " — Prof. Oliver J. Thatcher. 

Library. — The persecutions under Nero are vividly set forth in 
Quo Vadis. 



Conscripts or Volunteers. — " Two methods are in operation among 
civilized nations for filling up their armies : one is a forced conscription 
from the inhabitants, the other a voluntary enlistment. Both methods 
have in practice made good soldiers ; but in its nature the voluntary 
service is the nobler of the two, and in its operation the sweeter." — Arnot. 
But this persecution was not a conscription of Christian soldiers, but 
merely a means of guiding the volunteers to other fields. Sometimes 
God's providence guides by persecutions, sometimes by commerce, as in 
Japan and China, sometimes by gold fields, as in some of our western 
states, in Australia and in Africa. 



Wyckliffe's Ashes. — "On the last Sunday in 1384, while conse- 
crating the bread and wine for the supper of the Lord in the parish 
church at Lutterworth, Wycliffe was stricken with paralysis, and fell 
to the ground. He was tenderly borne to the rectory and laid upon his 
bed, where he remained speechless till December 31, the last day of the 
year, when he closed his eyes and ' fell on sleep and was gathered to 
his fathers.' Thirty years afterward the Council of Constance con- 
demned some portions of his writings and decreed ' That his body and 
bones should be taken from the ground and thrown away from the 
burial of any church, according to the canon laws and decrees.' This 
decree slumbered for twelve years till 1427, when Pope Martin V. 



A. D. 37. 

JERUSALEM. 
Persecu- 
tion. 

CALIGULA, 
EMPEROR. 



182 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VIII: i 



charged Bishop Fleming of Lincoln to execute it, So in 1428, after 
Wycliffe had been resting from his labors for more than forty-three 
years, these pious ghouls opened his grave, removed his remains, burnt 
them, and threw his ashes into a brook named the Swift. Fuller says, 
' This brook conveyed them into the Avon, and the Avon into the 
Severn, and the Severn into the narrow seas, and thus into the ocean, 
and thus the ashes of Wycliffe were the emblem of his doctrine, which 
is now dispersed all over the world.' 

''What Heraclitus would not laugh, or what Democritus would not 
weep? For though they digged up his body, burnt his bones, and 
drowned his ashes, yet the Word of God and truth of his doctrine, with 
the fruit and success thereof, they could not burn." — Fox's Book of 
Martyrs. 

Library. — Wordsworth's Sonnets " To Wycliffe." 



The Bursting of the Seed. — " In a still, sultry autumn day, as you 
walk through the fields, your attention is arrested by a tiny sound at 
intervals, like a miniature explosion, and a few seconds after a shower 
of tiny balls falls upon the ground. It is the bursting of seed pods in 
the sun. The casket that contains the seeds of some plants is composed 
of four or five long narrow staves joined together like cooper work but 
without hoops. The staves are glued together at the edges, and the vessel 
so constructed is strong enough to contain the seed till it is ripe. But if 
the seeds were retained beyond that, the purposes of nature would be 
thwarted. Accordingly, at this stage there is a turning point, and the 
action of the machinery is reversed. The same qualities in the vessel 
that holds fast the seed while it is green, jerk it to a distance after it is 
ripe. The staves of the little barrel are bent, the bursting force over- 
comes the adhesion and opens them with a spring that flings the seed 
as though from a sower's hand. By this contrivance, though no human 
hand were near, a whole field would soon be sown by seed from a 
single plant." — Wm Arnot. 



The Persecuted Flourish ; the Persecutors Perish. — Dr. March, 
in his most interesting book 4 ' Morning Light in Many Lands," recalls 
the story of the great English East India Company of former years. 
This business corporation, the richest and mightiest England ever made, 
solemnly, after due examination and long debate, " declared the send- 
ing of missionaries to heathen lands to be the 'maddest, the most 
extravagant, the most expensive, the most unwarrantable project that 
was ever proposed by a lunatic enthusiast.' That time has now long 
gone by. That same company gave $75,000 to print a dictionary which 
one of those lunatic missionaries made while hiding himself from arrest 



VIII: I 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



183 



by the agents of the company, who had been ordered ^« 

to seize and send him home. That great and mighty 
board of directors, who ruled over more 
East India millions than the Caesars in the height of 
Company their glory, and who, in their pride of 
and place and power, resolved to rule the 
Missions, kingdom of God out of their dominions, 
has been dead and buried thirty years. In 
the last generation it could stand against the world ; now there are none 
to do it reverence. But the missionary enterprise which the directors 
stigmatized as a waste and a madness, and which the wits and the 
worldlings tried to overwhelm with ridicule and contempt, was never so 
full of life and power as to-day." " No hindrance can arise in the prog- 
ress of the work which has not been already met in some form, and 
overcome in the past." 

The Lord upon His throne smiles at the rage of his enemies, not in 
mockery or contempt, but in the consciousness of power. He knows 
that by a breath or a glance He can annihilate them like the Assyrians 
in Hezekiah's day. 

" Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown, 

That host on the morrow lay withered and strown." 
" And the might of the Gentile unsmote by the sword, 
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord," 

The Tree God Plants. 
" The wind that blows can never kill 

The tree God plants ; 
It bloweth east, it bloweth west, 
The tender leaves have little rest, 
But any wind that blows is best. 

The tree God plants 
Strikes deeper root, grows higher still, 
Spreads wider boughs, for God's good-will 

Meets all its wants. 

There is no frost hath power to blight 

The tree God shields ; 
The roots are warm beneath soft snows, 
And when spring comes it surely knows, 
And every bud to blossom grows. 

The tree God shields 
Grows on apace by day and night, 
Till, sweet to taste and fair to sight, 

Its fruit it yields, 



A. D. 37. 

JERUSALEM. 
Persecu- 
tion. 

CALIGULA, 
EMPEROR. 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VIII: I 



There is no storm hath power to blast 

The tree God knows ; 
No thunder bolt, nor beating rain, 
Nor lightning flash, nor hurricane, — 
When they are spent, it doth remain, 

The tree God knows 
Through every tempest stand eth fast, 
And from its first day to its last 

Still fairer grows. 

If in the soul's still garden-place 

A seed God sows, — 
A little seed, — it soon will grow, 
And far and near all men will know, 
For heavenly lands he bids it blow, 

A seed God sows, 
And up it springs by day and night ; 
Through life, through death, it groweth right, 

Forever grows." — Christian Register. 



Persecutions Ring the Church Bell. — Persecution of Christians is 
like ringing a bell to call all men to see what Christianity does. It is 
setting a light upon a hill that it may shine far and wide. So Bishop 
Latimer, bound to the stake, said to Bishop Ridley, "We shall this 
day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall 
never be put out again." 

Reference. — "The picture in Wy cliff e's Bible " under 4 : 14 and the 
effects of persecution, under 5 : 40. 



" The Green Apple needs a sharp twist to separate it from the bough, 
the unripe pear is scarcely beaten down with much labor ; but the ripe 
fruit drops with the slightest shake. So maturity of grace enables us to 
easily part with life rather than be disloyal to the higher interests." — 
Spurgeon. 

Reference. — See under iv :3 vii : 3 xiii : 50, Value of persecution. 



Good from Evil. — " 'Tis a boisterous night, and Pictish savages curse 
the noisy blast which shakes their peat-house, but that noisy blast has 
landed the Gospel on St. Andrew's shore. It blows a fearful tempest 
and sets some rheumatic joints aching, but the morrow shows, dashed 
in pieces, the awful armada, which was fetching the Spanish Inquisition 
to British shores. The wind blows east and detains James's ships at 
Harwich, but it guides King William to Torbay." — Dr. Hamilton, 



VIII : 2, 3 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



85 



2. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made 
great lamentation over him. 

3. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into 
every house, and haling men and women committed them to 
prison. 



A. D. 37. 

JERUSALEM. 
Saul's Per- 
secution. 



Attacks Bring Victories. — Gittith (Ps. 84) refers to the heathen 
Gathite musical instrument, on which some of the sweetest songs of 
Zion have been played. The greatest periods of attack upon 
the Bible have been the periods when most light has shone Gittith. 
from it, and it has stood more firmly than ever on its founda- 
tions. The storm winds have blown away the fogs from the island, 
and made both its rock foundations and its beautiful homes, with fruits 
and hills and lakes, appear. 

Reference — See illustration on Courage, under iv : 13. 



Except The Apostles. — "To stand with a smile upon your face 
against a stake from which you cannot get away — that, no 
doubt, is heroic. But the true glory is not resignation to the True 
inevitable. To stand unchained, with perfect liberty Courage, 
to go away, held only by the higher chains of duty, and 
let the fire creep up to the heart — this is heroism." — F. W. Robertson. 



Picture. — Entombment of St. Stephen, by Joannes, Madrid. 



3. Made Havoc, IXufiaivero, from Xvpi, injury, ruin, hence devastated 
as an army the country it overruns. " In the Septuagint Ps. 79 : 13, it is 
used of the laying waste of a vineyard by the wild boar." — Vincent. 



Stephen, Saul. — "It is said of John Huss that, on a countryman 
throwing a faggot at his head, he exclaimed : ' Oh, 
holy simplicity ! God send the better light ! You roast the After 
goose now, but a swan shall come after me, and he shall Stephen, 
escape your fire.' Oddly enough, 'Huss' is the Bohemian Paul, 
for ' goose,' while the meaning of ' Luther ' is ' a 
swan.' " — Biblical Illustrator. 



2. Great Lamentation. — " Not by lamentations and mournful chants 
ought we to celebrate the funeral of a good man, but by hymns ; for, 
in ceasing to be numbered with mortals, he enters upon the heritage of 
a diviner life." — Plutarch. 



186 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VIII: 4 



4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the 
word. 



3. Saul Made Havoc. — The zeal of Saul was a great power that 
would accomplish great things if turned in the right direction , as a 
huge engine can carry trains in either direction, or the printing press 
spread good or bad literature. All these powers of civilization can be 
converted, are being converted, into means for spreading the Gospel. 



Galileo in Prison. — In the Cologne Museum there is a picture of 
Galileo in prison where one ray of light was shining into his cell ; and 
on the floor where that ray fell he is working out his astronomical 
problem proving that the earth moved around the sun, 
the assertion on account of which he was put in prison. Bulbs in 
So these men and women put in prison were at work for the Darkness. 
Gospel, gaining courage and strength, learning more of the 
Gospel spirit and truth ; just as hyacinth bulbs must have a period of 
several weeks' darkness, if they are to become strong plants and bear 
the blossoms. 

' ' Stone walls do not a prison make, 
Nor iron bars a cage." 



4. Scattering Thistle Seeds. — A farmer once was so angry at 
seeing Canada thistles taking root and blossoming on his farm that he 
took them as they were ripening, and tore them to atoms, and stamped 
them into the ground with great violence and indignation. The only 
result was that he spread the thistles all over his farm. 



Picture in the Interpreter's House. — In the interpreter's house 
described in Pilgrim 's Progress one of the scenes is a blazing fire which 
Satan is trying to put out by pouring on water. But the more furiously 
he poured on the water, the more brilliantly the fire burned. To show 
the pilgrim the secret, the interpreter took him to the other side of the 
wall against which the fire was burning, and there was a man pouring 
oil on the flame. 



Persian Legend. — "An old Persian fable reads thus : God created 
the earth a vast, level, barren plain, not a green thing on it to be seen — 
not a flower, not a bush, not a tree on it. He came forth to view His 
new creation, and determined to adorn it with beauty ; and He sent His 
angels to sow broadcast over the world the choicest seeds. In one 
place they dropped the magnolia ; in another the orange ; all over the 



VIII: 4 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



world they scattered the seed that should spring up in <i> — 
beauty. Satan, on his dark, black wing, followed, 
and saw the un buried seed lying all over the earth, 
and he said : ' This is the work of the Almighty and 
I will destroy it.' So he went to work, and every 
seed that could be found he buried out of sight in the 
soil, and as if to make his work complete he summoned 
the rains of heaven, and they fell upon the earth and 
saturated it that the seed might rot away. Then, 
with his arms folded and a malignant smile of satisfied 
pride, he looked to see the chagrin of the Almighty 
when He should behold His work destroyed. But as he gazed the seed 
germinated ; it broke through the husk, shot through the ground, and 
came up in forms of beauty everywhere ; and the apparent ruin had 
become an Eden of loveliness, of beauty." — Zacliary Eddy, D. D. 



u . The Banner which hangs in idle folds in the sultry stillness of the 
summer noon, is unfurled by the wintry wind, and men may see in 
the latter case the emblem and inscription which were invisible in 
the former." 

Dispersion op Light. — The diffusion of light in our world is caused 
by the reflection of the sun's rays from the particles in the air, from the 
earth itself and all that is in it, from the clouds. Otherwise we could 
see only the sun, and in all other directions there would be only dark- 
ness. But by the dispersion of light every particle becomes a miniature 
sun, and the world is full of light, even to those who do not live in the 
direct rays of the sun. 

Blessings From Persecution. — " When Tyndale published at "Worms 
his first complete edition of the New Testament he sent several hundred 
copies to England. These, by command of Henry VIII. were bought 
up for destruction by the Bishop of London. Tyndale thus viewed it : 
' I shall get money- of him for these books to buy up myself out of debt, 
and the wmole world shall cry out at the burning of God's word, and 
the overplus of the money shall help me to correct again and newly 
to imprint the same.' Presently a more accurate edition reached Eng- 
land in threefold numbers." — R. R. Doherty, Ph. D. 

Advertisement by Enemies. — " Great men have always used their 
enemies in one way or another, and have made them the means of their 
own advancement. They have made them advertise them when they 
needed a name, and were too busy to get out and do any advertising for 
themselves, or were too modest to do it if they had the time. The only 
way to get some people to be your friends is to leave them long enough 



A. I>. 37. 

Persecu- 
tion. 
The 
Church 
Broadened. 

Preaching 
the 
Gospel 

through- 
out 

Palestine. 



188 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VIII:4 



in undisputed possession of their hostility to you. Give enmity a free 
enough course, and it will likely enough glorify you. Half of our 
trouble in this world comes from trying to get out of trouble ; and with 
most of our enemies there is not much need of doing anything at pres- 
ent except to confine them to the task of finding their own fuel, and to 
resolutely refuse to furnish them with any ourselves. There is nothing 
that brings low an enmity like letting it strike against nothing. A 
sledge-hammer stroke against nothing wrenches the hammer out of 
one's hand, but the interposition of the anvil gives reassurance for 
another blow." — H. C. Trumbull. 



Preaching the Word. — I heard not long ago of a man who wished 
that he were God for a little time so that he might strike 
all the rumsellers dead with his lightnings. His friend God 
replied that God had plenty of lightnings, what was Wants 
wanted was conductors of lightning. God's grace and love Conductors, 
are infinite, but He wants among men conductors of His 
grace and love to others. 

The Two Rabbis. — In Whittier's poem of the "Two Eabbis," the 
Rabbi Nathan had sinned, and could find no help in his despair. He 
sought his friend Ben Isaac that the holy man might pray for him. 
But when he told of his errand, his friend confessed that he too had 
sinned : 

" ' I come to thee 

For pity and for help, as thou to me. 

Pray for me, 0 my friend.' But Nathan cried, 
' Pray thou for me, Ben Isaac' Side by side 

In the low sunshine, by the turban stone 

They knelt ; each made his brother's woe his own, 

Forgetting in the agony and stress 

Of pitying love, his claim of selfishness. 

Peace, for his friend besought, his own became ; 

His prayers were answered in another's name ; 

And when at last they rose up to embrace, 

Each saw God's pardon in his brother's face. 

Long after, when his headstone gathered moss, 

Traced on the Targum- marge of Onkelos 

In Rabbi Nathan's hand these words were read : 
' Hope not the cure of sin till self be dead ; 

Forget it, in love's service, and the debt 

Thou canst not pay, the angels shall forget. 

Heaven's gate is shut to him who comes alone. 

Save thou a soul, and it shall save thy own.' " 



VIII: 5-8 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 189 



5. Then Philip went down to the city of Saina'ria, and 
preached Christ unto them. 

6. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those 
things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles 
which he did. 

7. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of 
many that were possessed with them : and many taken with 
palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 

8. And there was great joy in that city. 



A. D. 37. 
Philip in 
Samaria. 
Preaching 

and 
Miracles. 



The preaching of the gospel everywhere was necessary for the very- 
saving of the church at Jerusalem. It would have become a short-lived, 
narrow sect, and not a universal religion, had it tried to remain at Jeru- 
salem and save only itself # and the Jews. 

Reference. — See circulation increased by a bank, under xvii : 10. 



The Spread of Christianity Like the Banyan. — " When Williams, 
the martyr of Erromanga, went to the South Sea Islands he took with 
him a single banana-tree from an English nobleman's conservatory. 
From that tree bananas have spread through the whole group of islands." 
— B. B. Doherty, Ph. D. 



Picture — St. Peter giving clothes to a leper, by Andrea del Sarto, 
Florence. 



5. Preached Christ. — "He took no notice of Simon the sorcerer. 
There are some persons who think we ought to send missionaries to argue 
down the infidels. What did Philip do? He preached CHRIST. Philip 
did not argue down Simon, he superseded him. The daylight does not 
argue with the artificial light. The sun does not say, ' Let us 
talk this matter over, thou little, beautiful, artificial jet. Let The Sun 
us be candid with one another, and be polite to one another. Conquers 
and let us treat one another as gentlemen talking on equal by Shining, 
terms. Let us thus see which of us ought to rule the 
earth.' The sun does nothing but SHINE! What then? Men sneak- 
ingly put the gas out. ' Let YOUR light so shine.' Life is the unan- 
swerable logic. Holiness is the invincible argument. Charity, love, 
benevolence, chivalry, self-sacrifice, — these form the shining host that 
will chase all competitors away." — Joseph Parker. 



7. Unclean Spirits. — "There is an ineradicable disposition in the 
human soul to think that this one little world is not apart from all the 
rest. Paul cries to his Ephesians, 'You are fighting with principali- 



190 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



VIII: 5-8 



ties and powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against 
spiritual wickedness in the heavenly regions, in the sky or air.' He is 
thinking of evil spirits. He believes distinctly in a universe all full of 
unseen forces. The sky was full of them." — Phillips Brooks. 

These sometimes manifested themselves in the bodies of men, as in 
the demoniacs. This, however, was but one small symptom of the 
powers of evil. " The men of that time (St. Bernard's) say 
that the air swarmed with angels ; and if not with angels, Spirits 
then with devils, — that armies of evil spirits were ever on Around Us. 
the wing, — that they encamped in invisible companies to 
waylay and deceive, or counsel and succor the sons of men." — Mori- 
soil's St. Bernard. It was the same in the days of our Lord. These 
miracles prove the Gospel. 



Power Over Evil Spirits in all forms, especially those that domi- 
nate many souls of men, such as the evil spirits of war, intemperance, 
sensuality, ambition, selfishness. 



Signs. — They are signs and expressions of the great work Christ has 
come to do, illustrating the need of casting out devils in modern times 
and the way in which it can be done. 



Unclean Spirits. — The devil's characteristic work is to ruin both 
body and soul. He tempts men with all the skill his malignity can 
devise. He fills the soul with sin, degrades it, drives it out of paradise, 
and keeps it out of heaven. Everything vile, base, terrible, defiling, 
wretched, he cherishes, and in the end works the same evil upon the 
body, bringing poverty, wretchedness, disease and death. It is these 
works of the devil that Jesus came to counteract and undo. 

Library. — Phillips Brooks' Sermons, Series 6, " The Battle of Life." 
R. F. Horton's Cartoons of St. Mark, ' * The Cartoon of Disease and 
Death." 



Were Healed. — " Thus they had great attractive power. ' Imagine, 
if you can, the condition of a country in which there are no doctors, 
where the healing art is only practiced by a few quacks, 
who rely more on charms than on physics for their cures. Need of 
Such is now, and such was Palestine in our Lord's day. Healing in 
Until the medical missionaries were sent by several English the East, 
societies, there was not a physician in the land, and even 
now there are very few. In such a country as this, with sick and crip- 
pled in every village, picture the eager excitement when the news spread 
that there is a good physician arrived in town.' " — H. B. Tristram, L. L. D. 



VIII: 5-8 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



I 9 I 



Medical Missions. — " I have said that medical work 
takes the place of miracles in the apostolic age. It 
does more. Miracles proved the power of God, and 
the apostolate of man. But medical work in con- 
nection with missions proves that the apostle has the 
spirit of his Master, and shows what the power of God 
can do to make man God-like." — Prof. Geo. E. Post, 
M. D. 

Tree of Healing and the Tree of Life. — Note how closely these 
healings were connected with the gospel. It is probable 
that a Tree of Healing that would cure all bodily diseases Death 
without regard to character, would be a far greater curse and 
to man than all the diseases on the earth. Bulwer in his Sisyphus. 
Lost Tales of Miletus, "Death and Sisyphus," represents 
Death as clasped in the Debtor's chair of Sisyphus, and unable to harm 
any one ; with the result that not a single prayer rose to 
God; and to the red lightnings of divine wrath, " Blaze on," Tree of Heal- 
the felon said, " ye cannot kill." The Tree of Healing must ing Beside 
stand close by the Tree of Life, at the entrance to Paradise the Tree 
and lead men to heaven and God. of Life. 



8. And There Was Great Joy. — "Where does Joy come from? I 
knew a Sunday scholar whose conception of Joy was that it was a thing 
made in lumps and kept somewhere in heaven, and that when people 
prayed for it pieces were somehow let down und fitted into their souls. 
In reality Joy is as much a matter of cause and effect as pain. No one 
can get joy by merely asking for it. It is one of the ripest fruits of the 
Christian life, and like all fruits, must be grown." 

" There is a very clever trick in India called the mango trick. A seed 
is put in the ground and covered up, and after diverse incantations a 
full-blown mango bush appears within five minutes. I never met any 
one who knew how the thing was done, but I never met any one who 
believed it to be anything else than a conjuring trick. Men may not 
know how fruits grow, but they do know that they cannot grow in an 
hour. Some have never planted one sound seed of joy in all their lives. 
Others who may have planted a germ or two, have lived so little in the 
sunshine that they never could come to maturity." By a branch of the 
true vine we may grow the fruits of His joy, for " His method of living 
is one that in the nature of things produces Joy." — Prof. Henry Drum- 
mond., F. R. 8. E., L.L. D. 

Library. — Prof. Drummond's Pax Vobiscum, pp. 50-58. 

Reference. — See on 2:46, 47, the Joy of the early Church, and 16 :25, 
Paul and Silas singing in prison . 



A. ». 37. 
Philip in 

Samaria. 
Preaching 

and 
Miracles. 



192 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VIII: 9- 1 1 



9. But there was a certain man, called Simon, which before time in the same city 
used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was 
some great one : 

10. To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man 
is the great power of God. 

11. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched 
them with sorceries. 



Christ's Joy Given to Christ's Disciples. — Christ prays for His dis- 
ciples that His joy may be in them and that their joy may be full. This 
answers many of the objections that are made to religion. (1) One 
says that religion is sour and gloomy, driving men out of every temple 
of pleasure with a whip of small cords, and posting " no trespass- 
ing here" against every field of delight. The answer is, "My joy 
in you, and your joy full." (2) Another says, "You are continually 
talking of the happiness of religion. It is merely another form of 
selfishness." The answer is " Christ' s joy in us." (3) Others say, 
"Your joy is wonderful, but it does not endure, — a mere passing 
cloud, or morning dew." The answer is, " Christ's joy, which endures 
forever, and which remains in His disciples." 



Lamps in the Tomb of Terentia. — Joy is as necessary as sorrow to 
the perfection of our lives. " Jeremy Taylor likens us to the fabled 
lamps in the tomb of Terentia, which ' burned under ground for many 
ages together,' but which as soon as ever they were brought into the 
air and saw a brighter light, went out in darkness. ' So long as we are 
in the retirements of sorrow, of want, of fear, of sickness, we are 
burning and shining lamps ; but when God lifts us from the gates of 
death, and carries us abroad into the open air, to converse with pros- 
perity and temptation, we go out in darkness, and we cannot be 
preserved in light and heat, but by still dwelling in the region of sorrow.' 
There is beauty and to a certain extent truth in the figure ; but it by 
no means follows that continuous suffering would be good for man. 
On the contrary it would be as remote from producing the perfection of 
our moral nature as unmitigated prosperity. It would be apt to pro- 
duce a morbid and ghastly piety ; the bright lamps of which Taylor 
speaks would still irradiate — only a tomb." — Henry Rogers, I). D., in 
Essay on Pascal. 

9. Bewitched, 4f|i<rTa>v, amazed, lit. to put out of place, out of the senses, 
hence amazed, far beyond their ordinary state, astonished out of their 
wits. Giving out that himself was some great one. Sidney Smith, I 
think it was, said of a man who felt his importance, that " when he 
walked east he thought the world tipped up west." 



VIII : 12-14 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES * 193 



12. But when they believed Philip preaching the things con- 
cerning tbe kingdom of God,' and the name of Jesus Christ, 
they were baptized, both men and women, 

13. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was 
baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding 
the miracles and signs which were done. 

14. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had 
received the word of God, tbey sent unto them Peter and John : 



Used Sorcery. — "Magic and sorcery have always more or less 
prevailed, and do still prevail, in the Eastern world, and have ever been 
used in opposition to the gospel of Christ, just as the same practices, 
under the name of Spiritualism, have shown themselves hostile to 
Christianity in Western Europe and in America. The tales of modern 
travelers in India and the East, respecting the wondrous performances 
of Indian jugglers, remind us strongly of the deeds of Jannes and 
Jambres, who withstood Moses, and illustrate the sorcery which Simon 
Magus used for the deception of the Samaritans. The Jews, indeed, 
were everywhere celebrated at this period for their skill in magical 
incantations ; while, as is well known from references in the classical 
writers, the Jews at Rome were famous for the same practices. 

These statements of writers, sacred and secular alike, have been con- 
firmed in the present age. There has been a marvelous discovery of 
ancient documents in Egypt within the last twelve or fifteen years, 
which were purchased by the Austrian government and 
duly transferred to Vienna, where they have been investi- Magic and 
gated. They are usually called the Fay urn Manuscripts. Sorcery. 
They contain some of the oldest documents now existing, 
one of them being dated so long ago as 1200 B. C, and embrace among 
them large quantities of magical writings, with the Hebrew formulas 
used by the Jewish sorcerers when working their pretended miracles. 
So wondrously does modern discovery confirm the statements and 
details of the New Testament ! " — Prof G. T. Stokes. 



11. Sorceries, iac^icus, magics, (from |i<vyos, a wise man, a magician^ 
including at that time the occult sciences, mesmerism, or hypnotism, 
jugglery and sleight of hand. 



13. Miracles and Signs, 8wd|x€is ical <rr\[i.tla, powers and signs. 
Signs of authority, of God's presence, of the nature of the gospel ; and 
powers, mighty works which God only could do. 
13 



A. ». 37. 

SAMARIA. 

Simon 
Joins the 
Church. 



194 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VIII:i5-2I 



15. Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive 
the Holy Ghost : 

16. (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them : only they were baptized in the 
name of the Lord Jesus). 

17. Then laid they their bands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. 

18. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy 
Ghost was given, he offered them money, 

19. Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may 
receive the Holy Ghost. 

20. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou bast 
thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 

21. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter : for thy heart is not right in 
the sight of God. 



14. Samaria. — " God's purposes and plans are very far-reaching. 
We see now why the Samaritans were raised up more than 600 years 
before, and why they had been preserved in their half-and- 
half character for centuries. (They were half Jew, and The Bridge 
half Gentile (2 Kin. 17 : 24-29), and received a part of the Between 
Bible, the Pentateuch.) They were the ladder, without Jew and 
which even the believing Jew, hampered as he was by his Gentile, 
scruples, could not have got down to the uncircumcised 
Gentile. The leap was too great. The gulf between the two extremes 
was social, religious, political — and the Samaritan Bridged it." — Prof. 
Stifler. 



Peter and John. — " John once would have called down destroying 
fire upon the Samaritans (Luke, 9 : 54). Now he gladly seeks to bring 
upon them the blessed Baptism of Fire from the Holy Ghost." — Barnes. 



18. Offered Them Money. — "Simon was one of those fortune 
hunters which are so numerous to-day, whose God is Mammon, whose 
Bible is the Ledger, and whose creed is Gain." — W. A. O. 

The best things can never be bought with money. They can be 
received, as far as we open our minds and hearts, but never bought. 



God Sells Nothing ; He Gives all Things. — It is His enemy who 
sells ; it is the world which exacts full price. 

" At the Devil's booth are all things sold, 
Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold ; 
For a cap and bells our lives we pay ; 
Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking, 
'Tis heaven alone that is given away, 
'Tis only God may be had for the asking." 



VIII: 15-21 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



195 



Dante Pictures Fraud in the Eighth or lowest pit 
of hell. 

" Forthwith that image vile of Fraud appeared, 
His head and upper part exposed on land, 
But laid not on the shore his bestial train, 
His face the semblance of a just man wore, 
So kind and gracious was its outward cheer ; 
The rest was serpent all." 



19. Give me Also the Power. — Mr. Ruskin, speaking of the Artist 
Turner, on account of his refusal to give away the secret of his color- 
ing, says : " The entire conviction of the artists of his time 
respecting him, was that he had got a secret which he Ruskin on 
could tell if he liked, that would make them all Turners. Turner's 
They came to him with this formula of request clearly in Refusal to 
their hearts if not on their lips, ' You know, Mr. Turner, Impart the 
we are all of us quite as clever as you are, and could do all Secret of his 
that very well, only we haven't quite your trick. There is Coloring, 
something in it, of course, and you found it out by accident, 
and it is very ill-natured in you not to tell us how the thing is done. 
What do you rub your colors with, and where ought we to put the 
black patches?' 

Turner resolutely made no answer ; took care that the tricks should 
not be known. 

His practical answer was : ' What you think a secret is only the result 
of sincerity and toil. If you have not sense enough to see this without 
asking me, you have not sense enough to believe me if I tell you. True, 
I know some odd methods of coloring; I found them out for myself, and 
they suit me. They would not suit you. They would do no real good; 
and it would do me much harm to have you mimicking my ways of 
work, without the knowledge of their meaning. If you want methods 
fit for you, find them out for yourselves. If you cannot discover them, 
neither can you use them.' " — Ruskin, Modern Painters. 



21. Thy Heart is Not Right.— Redwald, the king of East Anglia, when 
converted to Christianity, is said to have kept two altars, the one to the 
God of the Christians, the other to Woden, a Saxon idol, — being afraid 
of the imaginary God he had so long worshiped. Others say he had a 
picture of God on one side of his shield, and of Satan on the other, with 
the legend beneath, Paratus ad utrum " ready for either." 



A. ». 37. 

SAMARIA. 
Simon 
Magus 
Exposes 
Himself. 



196 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VIII : 1 5-2 1 



Counterfeit Christians.— " Did you ever see a counterfeit bank 
note?'' 
"Yes." 

"Why was it counterfeited ? " 

" Because the genuine note was worth counterfeiting." 
' ' Did you ever see a scrap of brown paper counterfeited ? " 
"No." 

"Why not?" 

" Because it was not worth counterfeiting." 
" Did you ever see a counterfeit Christian?" 
" Yes." 

' 4 Why was he counterfeited ? " 
' ■ Because he was worth counterfeiting. " 
1 ' Was he to blame for the counterfeit ? " 
" Of course not." 

" Did you ever see a counterfeit infidel ?" 

"Why, no." 

"Why not ?" — Anon. 



Sudden Conversions Not Always Genuine. — " Fish sometimes leap 
out of the water with great energy, but it would be foolish to con- 
clude that they have left the liquid element forever ; in a moment they 
are swimming again as if they had never forsaken the 
stream ; indeed it was but a fly that tempted them aloft, False Con- 
or a sudden freak ; the water is still their home, sweet home, versions. 
When we see long accustomed sinners making a sudden 
leap at religion, we may not make too sure that they are converts ; per- 
haps some gain allures them, or sudden excitement stirs them, and if so 
they will be back again at their old sins. Let us hope well, but let us 
not commend too soon." — O. H. Spargeon. 



Picture of a False Professor.—" I read but the other day that some 
years ago a vessel was sailing down from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, 
and when a few miles above the great falls of Niagara, the vessel took 
fire. In a little while the whole ship was burning and when the crew 
and passengers were taken off, she was abandoned to her fate. It was 
a scene of splendor. The skies of night were lit up by the red glare of 
the huge ship as she drifted like a floating furnace toward the falls. 
The banks were lined with people waiting breathlessly the awful moment 
when she should make the plunge. On she glides calmly and steadily 
towards the verge. At length with frightful plunge and hissing noise 
and corruscations of fire and gleaming spray, she makes the bound and 
instantly disappears amid the whelming flood." — Rev. C. W. Blackett. 



VIII : 22-24 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 197 



22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, 
if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 

23. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, 
audin the bond of iniquity. 

24. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord 
for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come 
upon me. 



False Professors. — This is the third bad man we have found in the 
church so far, — three among many thousands — perhaps about the same 
proportion as we find in the modern church. 

But evil done in the name of religion does not make real religion any 
the less desirable. When Madame Roland stood upon the guillotine in 
what is now the Place de la Concorde in Paris, she looked 
at the statue of Liberty, which stood where now is the Madame 
Egyptian Obelisk, and exclaimed, "Oh, Liberty, how many Eoland. 
crimes have been committed in thy name ! " Then the axe 
fell, and another crime was committed in the name of Liberty. But 
Liberty is just as sweet and precious, to be longed for and fought for, as 
if no crimes had been committed in her name. 



The Bad Man Multiplied. — There is ever danger that we emphasize 
and magnify too much the evil men who have connected 
themselves with the church. Dean Swift, in his clerical Dean Swift 
robes, was sitting alone in the mirrored room of a palace, and the 
and seeing himself reflected and repeated many times, Mirrors, 
exclaimed : " A meeting of the clergy, I believe." So one 
bad man reflected in a thousand newspapers seems to be a whole com- 
pany of sinners. 



In one of the Scotch wars a little band of men among the highlands 
was surrounded by a large force of the enemy, when the 
captain set his men to marching over the brow of a hill in The 
sight of the enemy. They marched over and over again Multiplied 
till his little band seemed a mighty army and the enemy Band, 
dared not attack it. So the hypocrites, the scoundrels 
in high position, the fallen ministers, the crooked deacons are paraded 
on the hill top of the daily papers, the lecture platform and our own 
imaginations, till an insignificant number seem to be an army. 



A. ». 37. 

SAMARIA. 
Simon 
Magus 
Exposes 
Himself. 



22. Thought (Imvoia). — A thinking on, hence planning, a design, or 
plan. 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VIII: 25-27 



25. And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, 
returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samari- 
tans. 

26. And the angel of tbe Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward 
the south, unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is 
desert. 

27. And he arose and went ; and, behold, a man of E'thio'pia, a eunuch of great 
authority under Can'dace queen of the E'thio'pians, who had the charge of all her 
treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 



23. Bond of Iniquity (<rvvS€<r|iov dStKias).— Thou hast fallen into 
iniquity as into fetters. The word o-vvSeo-nov denotes a close, firm bond. 
(<rvv, together). — M. R. Vincent. 



26. Reference — Angel of the Lord. — See under v: 19. 



27. Authority. — Swdo-Ttis, from Svvajiai, to be able, to have power ; 
hence, a man of power, a potentate, a prince. 



Unfolding of the Plans of God for the broadening of the Church. 
"These were as the short flights of the dove with the olive-branch 
before it stretched its wings for the longer circuit." — Maclaren. 



" God's plans like lilies pure and white unfold ; 
We must not tear the close shut leaves apart ; 
Time will reveal their calyxes of gold." 



Arise and Go. — Philip went as government vessels sometimes sail 
from port, with sealed orders, which are not opened till they are far out 
at sea. See on vii:3; "sealed orders." 



Strange Orders Obeyed. — Some years ago a switchman was ord- 
ered by telegraph to open the switch so that whatever was on the main 
track would run into the river. He was surprised, but obeyed. Soon 
a wild freight car came rushing along, and was sent headlong into the 
river, but it saved a passenger train coming from the opposite direction, 
from being wrecked, and many people from being injured. 



The Converging Lines. — " They approached in different directions 
or converging lines until they met in a point like the apex of the letter V: 
but having met they soon separated again, like the crossing lines of the 
letter X, and probably never saw each other more in the body."— Arnot. 



VIII: 28-30 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



I99 



28. Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esai'as the 
prophet. 

29. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thy- 
self to this chariot. 

30. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the 
prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest ? 

" The two lines on which they approached rose like *i> 
rivers in far distant hills, and flowed on till they met at a point in the 
desert between Jerusalem and the border of Egypt." — Arnot. 



A. D. 37. 

Sumjner. 
BETWEEN 
JERUSALEM 
AND GAZA. 
Philip 
and. the 
Ethiopian. 



Library. — Dr. Bushnell's Sermons for the Neiv Life, "Everyman's 
life a plan of God." F. W. Robertson's Life and Letters, p. 13, giving 
an account of Providential guidance in his early life. 



28. Read Esaias. — " If the eunuch followed the general custom of the 
East, he was not only reading to himself aloud, but so as to be heard easily 
and distinctly by any one in the immediate neighborhood. The praying 
of the Orientals is not usually very noisy, but their reading is a con- 
tinual sound. They study aloud, read their sacred books aloud, and 
rehearse their lessons aloud, to an extent that is not seen among the 
Occidentals, nor enjoyed by an Occidental listener." — L. H. Hall in S. S, 
Times. 

" The great Jewish teachers insisted, in many instances, upon their 
scholars reading aloud. They would say, in effect, ' If you 
wish this word to abide in you, you must speak it aloud. ' It is Reading 
more easy for soine minds to learn by the ear than by the Aloud, 
eye ; their minds require both the eye and the ear to co- 
operate in the act of memory. I speak to the experience, probably, of 
many, when I say that utterance aloud is often a very powerful aid to 
mental retentiveness." — Joseph Parker. Oliver Wendell Holmes is 
reported to have said that he spoke his thoughts aloud to others to aid 
his- thinking, to crystallize his thoughts. Hence one great value of 
teaching. Thank God if he has made you a teacher. 



29. Join Thyself to the Chariot. — An excellent illustration is 
found in Pilgrim's Progress, where Christian is wandering around 
in doubt, and meeting Evangelist, is directed to the right way 



30. Understandest Thou What Thou Readest (dpd ye -yivwo-K€is a dva- 
•yuwKcis) ; a play upon words; do you know what you know again i. e. 
read, because the characters are such that once seen they are known 
again. They always stand for the same thing. 



200 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VIII 131 



31. And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me ? Aud he desired 
Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 



30. Unmeasured Depths of Scripture Truths. —The Scriptures 
are like a mine, over which we have often walked without knowing 
the treasures beneath our feet. They are like the powers of nature, 
which have always contained the treasures of the telegraph, telephone, 
of electricity, of steam for power, of coal for warming, and yet men 
did not know these riches for ages. " In olden times a 
duke craved from a king his daughter's hand in marriage. The Iron 
The king answered by handing him a rough iron ball. Ball. 
Indignant, the duke threw it to the ground ; when lo ! a 
spring struck, the ball opened and displayed a silver chicken ; this, 
a golden egg ; this, a marriage-ring, complete and gorgeous, set with 
precious diamonds." So the Bible contains hidden treasures, enclosed 
one within another. The more we study the more we shall find. 



" Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine, 
And jewels rich and rare 
Are hidden in its mighty depths 
For every searcher there." 



31. How Can I, Except Some Man Should Guide Me. — There is 
enough of Scripture that is perfectly plain, for every one to be guided 
safely through life to heaven ; like the light and air and water in their 
familiar uses. But there are depths, and beauties and powers, and 
blessings, which only an interpreter can reveal. Scientific men are 
the interpreters of nature. So are artists. So are thinkers. 
We cannot have too many of them. We can often see a Guides to 
thing very clearly after it is pointed out to us, which yet Understand- 
entirely escaped our notice before. A picture explained ing the 
by an artist has been a new picture ever since, though we Scriptures, 
had seen it many times. A fact of nature pointed out by 
a scientist has illumined some portion of Gods works which were 
unknown before. The same is true of the Scriptures. Researches in 
every department of knowledge are throwing light on the Bible. 
Different persons see the truth from different standpoints and from varied 
experiences. Each one can help to interpret the Bible to others. He 
is not wise who walks among treasures of knowledge, and over untold 
riches in the earth beneath his feet, and will learn only what he can 
find out for himself without an interpreter. 



VIII: 31 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



201 



Books and Men that have Helped Me. — I well ^ *h 

remember how, after I had wandered over the British 
Museum, especially those parts which throw light upon 
the Bible, I found a person who in a few moments 
pointed out things of great value, which I could not 
have learned by myself had I staid there a year. 
Every reader and thinker has read books which have 
been to him almost like a new revelation. Every 
little while in my life I have come across such books 
which have marked almost epochs in the development of thought and 
work. They have been like the secret doors in an old castle, unnoticed 
till pointed out by some one acquainted with them, and then opening 
into treasures of gold and art. 



V. ». 37. 

Summer. 
BETWEEN 
JERUSALEM 
AND GAZA. 
Philip 
and tAe 
Ethiopian. 



Personally Conducted. — I have had the same experience in 
foreign travel. I have tried without guides and with. And for the 
first visit there is a great advantage in being " personally conducted" 
by friends or regular guides. Many of the best things will be unseen, 
and others unknown as to their best meaning and power, 
without this aid. One might as well be an architect without Prof, 
seeing architecture, or an artist without seeing any pictures Silliman. 
but his own. We do not want their houses or their 
pictures. Every wise man is " heir of all the ages," and standing upon 
all that have gone before him, has the opportunity of a wider view. 
Professor Silliman of Yale University was lecturing in New York, and 
his father, the elder Professor Silliman, was in the audience, when 
some one near him broke out, "He beats the old gent.' The father 
overhearing him turned around and said, " He ought to, he stands on 
my shoulders." 



Near-Sighted Spectacles. — One of my brother ministers was near- 
sighted in his younger days. He had never seen a distant prospect. 
He did not know that there was any view beyond his narrow range of 
sight. When he was twelve years old his father gave him a pair of near- 
sighted spectacles, and behold a new world was spread out before him. 
It had always been there, but he had never seen it. Many a person, 
and many a book have been to us like these near-sighted spectacles, and 
have revealed to us many a treasure as unknown to us as the sun 
behind a dark cloud. 



Library. — See the interpretation by Ruskin of a few lines of Milton's 
Comus in his Sesame and Lilies. 



202 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VIII 132-38 



32. The place of the Scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep 
to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his 
mouth ; 

33. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away ; and who shall deelare 
his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 

34. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I, pray, thee,of whom speaketh 
the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man ? 

35. Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and 
preached unto Him Jesus. 

36. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water : and the 
eunuch said, See here is water ; what doth hinder me to be baptized ? 

37. And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And 
he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 

38. And He commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into 
the water, both Philip and the eunuch ; and he baptized him. 



Library. — In Washington Irving's Alhambra is a story of "The 
Moor's Legacy." A vast treasure was hidden within the mountain, but 
it required, three things to obtain it, — diligent search, certain written 
words, and the living voice. These three best reveal to us the treasures 
of the Scriptures. 

Reference. — See illustrations under 17; 3. 



33. Humiliation, Taimvwo-ci, from Taimvos, low, not far above the 
ground, as our word humility is from humus the ground. 



32-35. At the same Scripture, and Preached Christ.—" There is an 
instrument called an iEolian harp, which is silent till placed, 
where the wind can blow upon it; then its strings give forth Aeolian 
sweet music. Your Bible will be silent to you till the breath Harp, 
of God blows upon it; then it will be the music of the gospel Memnon. 
to you. Old legends say that when the rising sun shone 
upon the statue of Memnon, in Egypt, the figure uttered tuneful sounds. 
So when the sun of the Holy Spirit shines upon the pages of your Bible, 
God will send, forth thence His voice, yea, and that a mighty voice. 
' Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. " — Rev. H. J. W. Buxton. 

Reference. — See Ariosto's fairy, under 17 ; 1. 



37. Believest Thou with all Thine Heart. --"Go a little deeper 
and you will find the Emperor, said a wounded soldier of Napoleon's 
body guard, to the surgeon probing for a ball. And in the deepest soul 
of Dr. Gordon was the shrine of the Personal Christ." — Dr. A. T. 
Pierson. 



VIII: 39~40 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



203 



39. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit 
of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no 
more: and he went on his way rejoicing. 

40. But Philip was found at Azo'tus; and passing through 
he preached in all the cities, till he came to Cesare'a. 



A. D. 37. 

Summer. 
COAST OF 

THE 
MEDITER- 
RANEAN 

FROM 
GAZA TO 
CESAREA. 
Philip the 
Evangelist. 



German Poem, A Vision of Redemption. — A 
German writer illustrates the greatness of our salva- 
tion after this manner. A gentleman, after a most 
exemplary life, died. The gate of heaven was opened, 
and he was welcomed as an heir of glory. One of the glorious ones was 
commissioned to be his conductor and teacher. First he took him to a 
point where he could see the most fearful representation of sin in its 
fruits of misery. The objects of horror made him shudder. Then his 
guide bade him look farther and farther down in the dismal vault, and 
he saw the most hideous and terrible of beings, the fruit of sin. " Tliat," 
said his guide, " is what in the ages of eternity you would have been had 
you gone on in sin." His guide next took him to a point from which 
could be seen the glories of the redeemed. He saw rank after rank of 
angels, seraphim, and cherubim, dwelling in ineffable glory. He bade 
him look beyond these ; and in the far distance he beheld a being 
transcendently more radiant and glorious, around whom floated the soft 
music of unspeakable sweetness and joy. " That" said the guide, 
' 1 is yourself many ages hence. Behold the glory and bliss to which the 
salvation of Jesus will bring you." 



Jesus Christ is the Son of God. — "I know men : Jesus is not a 
man ! Jesus is not a philosopher ; for his proofs are miracles, and from 
the first his disciples adored him. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and 
myself founded empires ; but on what foundation did we rest the 
creations of our genius ? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire 
upon love ; and at this hour milions of men would die for him. I die 
before my time : and my body will be given back to the earth, to become 
food for worms. Such is the fate of him who has been called the great 
Napoleon. What an abyss between my deep misery, and the eternal 
kingdom of Christ, which is proclaimed, loved, and adored, and is 
extending over the whole earth ! " — Napoleon Bonaparte. 



39. On His Way Rejoicing. — " In Eastern poetry they tell of a 
wondrous tree upon which grew golden apples and silver bells, and 
every time a breeze went by and shook the fragrant branches, a shower 



204 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS VIII : 39-40 



of these golden apples fell, and the living bells chimed and tinkled 
forth their airy ravishments." Such a tree is every Christian, and every 
breeze from heaven awakens the music and ripens the fruit. 

Reference. — See Illustrations on "Rejoicing," under 2:46; 8:8; 
16:25. 

Library. — Prof. Drummond's Pax Vobiscum, p. 50-58. Trench's 
Poems, "Rejoice ever more." 



IX: I, 2 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



205 



CHAPTER IX. 



1. And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter 
against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 

2. And desired of him letters to Damas'cus to the syna- 
gogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were 
men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 

Breathing Out Threatenings, Ijiirvewv, breathing 
in or on, inhaling, direiXfis, threatening, in the genetive, 
" as the element from which he drew his breath." 



A. D. 37. 

Summer. 
JERUSALEM 
Persecu- 
tion under 
Saul. 

CALIGULA, EMP. 
ROME. 



The Tree of Life on Adam's Grave. — "When Adam lay at the 
point of death (so runs one of the legends of mediaeval Christendom), 
he sent his son Seth to the gates of Paradise that he might obtain 
access to the Tree of Life, and bring some of the oil of mercy which 
flowed from its twigs, to annoint him for his burial. That oil Seth was 
not permitted to get. But the cherub who guarded the gates of Eden 
gave him a slip from the life-giving Tree ; and with this he returned, 
and planted it on his father's grave at Golgotha. There it took root, 
and grew, and became a tree. From that tree came the wood of the 
wand which Moses so often miraculously wielded ; also the rod which 
budded in token of Jehovah's sanction of Aaron's priesthood ; also the 
pole on which Moses lifted up the brazen serpent ; and finally the cross 
of Calvary itself." — Geo. Dana Boardman, LL. D. 

This legend illustrates how on the grave of Stephen was planted the 
seed of the Apostle Paul, which, made living by the Holy Spirit, like a 
tree of life, bore gospel fruit for all nations. 



" Tarsus, the city of St. Paul, has a very large Sunday-school belong- 
ing to its Evangelical church, and embracing adults as well as children. 
Among the latter are the thirty members of the Young Men's Christian 
Association, who — the church being temporarily pastorless — have 
carried on the services, and greatly increased the membership of the 
school, bringing in ten, twenty, or thirty new scholars every week." 



Martyrs of Madagascar. — Some years ago in Madagascar in the 
early persecutions of the growing church, fourteen men and women 
were led to the brow of a high hill. One by one they were led to the 
verge of its precipice, and offered life if they would recant ; or if they 



206 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IX: I, 2 



refused, they would be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. Not one 

man or woman faltered. One man asked to have the bandage removed 

from his eyes. He gazed over the world he was about to 

leave, spread out in loveliness before him. This world was Madagascar 

good, but truth and heaven were better. Striking up a Martyrs. 

Christian hymn as he was thrown over the precipice, its 

sweet tones welling up from the depths as he was falling, fell on the 

ears of the heathen crowd ; and the strains died away on earth to be 

taken up again in heaven. 

Library — Acts of Paul and Thekla. — A legend going back 
ultimately to the first century, gives us some pictures of St. Paul and 
his times. 

See Ramsay's Church in the Roman Empire, p. 375-428, "It is 
the only existing document that gives us any insight into the popular 
feeling in central Asia Minor during this century ; and it is also the 
only evidence we possess of the ideas and actions of women of this 
period in the country." — Prof. Ramsay. 



2. The Way. — A name given to the religion of Christ. Christ is 
the Way. This is one distinguishing peculiarity of Christ's 
religion. Other religions are pictures, more or less perfect, Christ's 
of what men ought to be. Christ is the way by which the Way. 
men become what they ought to be. Others are dreams 
of heaven. Christ is the way to heaven. Others are descriptions of a 
beautiful land. Christ is the ship that brings us there. 



Bring Them Bound, — Men and Women.—" A certain amount of per- 
secution rouses a man's defiance, stirs his blood for magnificent battle, 
and makes him fifty times more a man than he would have been with- 
out the persecution. So it was with the great reformer 
when he said, ' I will not be put down; I will be heard.' One Effect 
And so it was with Millard, the preacher, in the time of of Persecu- 
Louis XI. When Louis XI. sent word to him that unless tion. 
he stopped preaching in that style he would throw him into 
the river, he replied, 'Tell the king that I will reach heaven sooner by 
water than he will reach it by fast horses.' " — T. De Witt Talmage, D.D. 

" The odor of flowers is never so sweet and strong as before a storm. 
Beautiful soul, when the storm draws nigh thee, be a flower." 

Pictures. — St. Paul, by Thorwaldson, Berlin ; Paul, a miniature 
by Van Meise, St. Marks, Venice ; TJie Conversion of St. Paul, by 
Raphael, Vatican ; and by Rubens. 



IX: 3-8 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 207 

* * 

Acts 9 : 3-8. Luke's Report Derived from Paul. 

(The italics point out the places where the accounts supplement each other.) 

3. And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh 
unto Damascus : and suddenly there shone around about him a 
light out of heaven : 

4. And he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, 
why persecutest thou me ? 

5. And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom thou 
persecutest: (it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks) 

6. But rise and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 

7. And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice {or sound), 
but beholding no man. 

8. And Saul arose from the earth ; and when his eyes were opened, he saw noth- 
ing ; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 

Acts 22 : 6-11. Paul's Account to the Jews in the Temple Court. 

And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and drew nigh unto Damascus, 
about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 

And I fell unto the grouud, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why 
persecutest thou me ? 

And I answered, who art thou, Lord ? And he said unto me, / am Jesus of 
Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me beheld indeed the 
light, but they heard not the voice of him that spake tome. And I said, What shall 
I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus, and there 
it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. 

And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of 
them that were with me, I came into Damascus. 

Acts 26: 12-20. Paul's Speech before Agrippa at Cesarea. 

Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of 
the chief priests, at midday, 0 king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, above 
the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed with me. 
And when we were all fallen to the earth, / heard a voice saying unto me in the 
Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? it is hard for thee to Tcick 
against the goad. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, / am 
Jesus, whom thou persecutest. 

But arise, and stand upon thy feet : for to this end hare I appeared unto thee, 
to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen 
me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the 
people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes that they 
may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they 
may receive remission of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified 
by faith in me. Wherefore, 0 king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the 
heavenly vision: but declared both to them of Damascus first. 



A. ». 37. 

DAMASCUS. 
Conversion 
of Saul. 



3. Shone Round About, irepni'a-Tpcuj/ev, from ircpi r round about, and 
do-TpdiTTo), durrpairij, a flash of lightning, to lighten to flash or hurl light- 
nings. 



208 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IX: 3-8 



7. Speeechless, €vv€ol, from d, not, and avio to cry out ; hence, without 
a sound, dumb, destitute of the power of speech. 



5. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. " This was a 
common Greek proverb, expressive of the impotent rage which hurts 
itself instead of its object, and is found in ^schylus, Euripides, and 
Pindar." — Eugene Stock; 

Useless Eesistance. — One may seem to overcome gravitation for a 
time, but the unseen force always conquers in the end. Thor, upon 
visiting the home of the Scandinavian god Odin, could as easily lift 
the Mitgard Serpent which encircled the world, or drain Odin's drink- 
ing-cup, which was really the ocean. 

Thor determined to put an end to Krymir as he slept. Raising his 
hammer he struck down into the Giant's face a right thunderbolt blow, 
of force to rend rocks. The Giant merely awoke, rubbed his cheek, 
and said, "Did a leaf fall." 

Thor and Ills companions were admitted within the gate of Utgard 
(Outer Garden, Central seat of Totun-land), and invited to take a share 
in the games going on. " To Thor they handed a drinking 
horn; it was a common feat, they told him, to drink this dry Thor 
at one draught. Long and fiercely, three times over, Thor and the 
drank; but made hardly any impression. He was a weak Drinking 
child they told him. Could he lift that Cat he saw there. Horn. 
Small as the feat seemed Thor with his whole God-like 
strength could not raise its feet off the ground. Why, you are no 
man, said the Utgard people; there is an Old Woman that will wrestle 
you! Thor heartily ashamed, seized this haggard Old Woman; but 
couldn't throw her." Then they explained. The Horn was the Sea. 
The Cat was the great Midgard snake, the great World-Serpent, which 
tail in mouth girds and keeps up the whole created world. The Old 
Woman was Time. See Carlyle ; Heroes and Hero Worshipers, " The 
Hero as Divinity." 

Library. — Pres. Hill's Geometry and Faith. Where it is shown that 
" Things give out and fail, but Forces never." Saul might change the 
personnel of the disciples, but not destroy the Christian force. 



Let Him Try. — Rev. C. H. Spurgeon said he had been greatly cheered 
in his contentions for evangelical truth by the recollection of a story, of 
a New England service, when the pastor, one afternoon, was preaching 
in his own solemn way, and the good people were listening or sleeping, 
as their minds inclined. It was a substantial edifice wherein they 
assembled, apparently designed to outlive an earthquake. All went on 



IX: 9-H THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



209 



rs without sight, and neither did eat 



A. D. 37. 

DAMASCUS. 
Conversion 
of Saul. 



9. And he was three 
nor drink. 

10. If And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named 
Anani'as; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Anani'as. And 
he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 4* 

11. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the 

street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called 
Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 

12. And hath seen in a vision a man named Anani'as coming in, putting his hand 
on him, that he might receive his sight. 

13. Then Anani'as answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much 
evil he hath doue to £hy saints at Jerusalem : 

14. And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy 
name. 



peacefully that afternoon till suddenly a lunatic started up, denounced 
the minister, and declared that he would at once pull down the meeting- 
house about their ears. Taking hold of one of the pillars of the gallery 
this newly-announced Samson repeated his threatening in a stentorian 
voice. Everybody was more or less excited: there was about to be a 
great tumult; no one could see the end of it; when suddenly one cool 
brother sitting near the pulpit produced an immediate calm by a single 
sentence. "Let him try!" was the stern sarcasm which hushed the 
tempest. 



8. Saw Nothing. — A total loss of sight has been the consequence of 
looking at the sun during an eclipse, or watching it as it sets in the 
west. This effect is caused by the intense action of the light on the 
optic nerve, or sometimes from a disorder of the brain. — Barnes. 



Blindness from Light. — A man was about to look through a telescope 
pointed toward the sun during a partial eclipse, when the astronomer 
hastily pulled him away, for his eyes would have been blinded in a 
glance by the concentrated rays; as he showed him by placing a piece 
of paper there, which immediately caught fire. 



11. Street, pt>|At)v, from £pv<o, to draw, or pew, to flow ; hence originally 
the swing, rush or trail, of a body in motion ; then a street or lane in a 
town, shut in by buildings on both sides, like the banks of a stream 
through which flow or rush the crowds. 



11. Behold He Prayeth. — " Prayer is the rope in the belfry ; we pull 
it, and it rings the bell up in heaven. Keep on pulling it, and, though 
14 



2IO 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IX: 15, 16 



15. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, 
to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. 
10. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. 



the bell is up so high that you cannot hear it ring, depend upon it, it 
can be heard in the tower of heaven, and is ringing before the throne 
of God, who will give you answers of peace according to your faith." — 
Christmas Evans. 



Prayer has the power of the fabled Aladdin's lamp, in the Arabian 
Nights. It has the Midas touch that transformed all things to gold. 



Men wondered why, in August heat, 
The little brook with music sweet 
Could glide along the dusty way, 
When all else parched and silent lay. 

Few stopped to think how, every morn, 
The sparkling stream anew was born 
In some moss-circled, mountain pool, 
Forever sweet and clear and cool. 

A life that, ever calm and glad, 
One melody and message had, 
"How keeps it so," men asked, " when I 
Must change with every changing sky?" 

Ah ! if men knew the secret power 
That gladdens every day and hour. 
Would they not change to song life's care, 
By drinking at the fount of prayer ? 

— James Buckham. 

Library. — An illustration of the power of Christ's telling Paul what 
things he must suffer, as an inducement to become His disciple, is found 
in Ruskin's ModernPainters, vol. 5, chapter on Peace, where he declares 
that men will answer to the call of duty, but are feeble when the prize 
is only booty. 

16. Show Him Great Things He Must Suffer. —When Francis 
Xavier was in Rome, preparing to go on his great mission to the heathen, 
he was heard by his friend Rodriguez uttering in his sleep the 
words, ' ' Yet more, O my God, yet more ?" In his dreams Dreams of 
there had come to him a vision of his future career: of his Francis 
sufferings, weariness, hunger, thirst, the storms to be battled, Xavier. 



IX : 17, 1 8 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 211 



17. Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and 
putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even 
Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou earnest, hath 
sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled 
with the Holy Ghost. 

18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been 
scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. 



and the fiercer storms of heathen rage, the continents to be traveled, 
the rivers and seas to be crossed, dangers and death on every hand. 
But along with these he saw the nations that he would bring to 
Christ, islands, continents, empires, that would by his voice hear the 
Gospel of the kingdom ; and he exclaimed, " Yet more, O my God, yet 
more /" More toil, more suffering, and more souls brought into eternal 
life. See H. C. Fish's Primitive Piety, p. 162; Kip's Conflicts of 
Christianity, p. 185. 



To a noble mind, the privilege of working and suffering and fighting 
for a worthy cause is a strong incentive to join it. The grandest leader 
in existence is Jesus Christ, leading in the noblest cause that ever 
touched the heart of man, the redemption of the whole world from sin, 
the conquering of every evil, the transformation of earth into heaven. 



Chaplain Mengins' Experience. — Rev. Geo. Mengins gives us a 
glimpse of his experience. He was Scotch by birth, and was not a very 
enthusiastic American when the war began. But as he saw men gather- 
ing for the defense of the country, the sad partings, the giving up all at 
the call of duty, his conscience asked him some ugly questions. It said. 
' Well, sir, and what have you done for your country ? ' 

He whispered, 'Well, but, I don't really belong to the country.' 

' Don't belong to the country ! ' said Conscience, — ' don't belong to the 
country ! Then you scamp get out of it! get out of it. This is not the 
country for men that belong nowhere.' 

" ' Don't belong to it? ' Then his memory carried him back many a 
year to the time when he first came to these hospitable shores, a poor 
unknown lad. And as year after year he struggled on, at every step he 
met sunlight, and warm hearts; and the high road to a generous ambition 
opened before him. 'Don't belong to the country? Then give up all 
you have received from it, and all you have in it.' 

" ' Then,' said he, ' I determined that I would allow no man living to out- 
do me, so far as I had the ability in upholding, sustaining and defending 
the nation that had been my generous, my noble benefactor.'" 



A. D. 37. 

DAMASCUS. 
Conversion 
of Saul. 



212 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS IX: 1 7, 1 8 



17. Filled with the Holy Ghost. 

" As some rare perfume in a vase of clay 
Pervades it with a fragrance not its own, 
So when Christ dwell eth in a mortal soul, 
All Heaven's own sweetness seems around it thrown 

" The Soul alone, like a neglected harp, 

Grows out of tune and needs that hand divine. 
Dwell Thou within it ; touch and tune the chords, 
Till every note and string shall answer — Thine." 

« — Mrs. H. B. Stowe. 



Library, Dante's Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso express the 
experiences of a soul turning from sin to heaven. See Lowell's Essays, 
. . " Dante. " 



The vision of Thespis, in Plutarch's Delay of Divine Justice. The 
best edition is the one annotated by Prof. A. P. Peabody of Harvard. 
A similar story of the Pamphilian in Plato's Republic, Book X 



Stanley's Experience. — Stanley, in his In Darkest Africa, more 
than once relates how, in his bitterest extremity, he turned to God, and 
found deliverance. " Constrained at the darkest hour to humbly con- 
fess that without God's help I was helpless, I vowed a vow in the forest 
solitudes, that I would confess His aid before men. A silence, as of 
death, was round about me ; it was midnight ; I was weakened by 
illness, prostrated with fatigue, and worn with anxiety for my white 
and black companions, whose fate was a mystery. In this physical 
and mental distress, I besought God to give me back my people. Nine 
hours later we were exulting with a rapturous joy. In full view of 
all was the crimson flag, with the crescent, and beneath its waving 
folds was the long-lost rear column." — Henry M. Stanley. 



The Change in Paul. — Paul was like a great and powerful engine, 
on the wrong track, and going in the wrong direction His conversion 
placed him on the right track, and set him in motion in the right 
direction. 



One Experience in Many Forms. — Here it may be well to point out 
that people should not fancy that their own spiritual experience must 
necessarily be like St. Paul's. Some persons have troubled themselves 
because they could not say that they had passed exactly through the 
same religious feelings and struggles as St. Paul's. But as no two 



IX: 17, 1 8 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



213 



leaves are alike and as no two careers are exactly ^ ^ 

parallel, so no two spiritual experiences are exactly 
the same. Some God awakens, as He did St. Paul, 
by an awful catastrophe ; others grow up before Him 

from infancy like Samuel and Timothy ; others God 4, 4, 

gradually changes from sin and worldliness to peace 
and righteousness, like Jacob of old time. — Prof. Stokes. 



Many Methods With One Result. — No one conversion is, in its 
form and method, " the model and norm for the conversion of all who 
are really Christians." John and Matthew became Christians in a 
different way from Paul, but they reached the same result, the same 
change of heart. Each one comes to Christ in his own way, and the 
great question is not how he comes, but does he come. The astrono- 
mers give us the exact moment when night becomes day, and winter 
changes to spring ; but to our observation, few can tell when the day 
actually begins, and none the moment when spring has arrived. But 
the day actually dawns, and the spring comes. So a ship sometimes 
turns around suddenly, and sometimes so gradually that no one knows 
when it has actually reversed its course. 



Compare the conversions of Luther, Baxter, Bunyan. 



Gates on Every Side. — The New Jerusalem has 12 gates, three on 
each side, so that people can enter it from any direction, and by any 
road. The one essential question is whether they enter by any gate. 



Library. — "Lord Lyttleton's Observations on the Conversion of St. 
Paid is a work now almost unknown to ordinary students of the Bible. 
It was written in the reign of George II. by the Lord Lyttleton of that 
day famous as a historian and poet. Dr. Johnson said of it that it is " a 
treatise to which infidelity has never been able to fabricate a specious 
answer." It will be found reprinted in a cheap and handy shape by the 
Religious Tract Society, with a valuable preface by the well-known 
Henry Rogers." — Prof. Stokes. 

Pictures. — Conversion of St. Paid, Rubens ; Conversion of St. Paid 
Raphael ; Vatican. 



A Symbol of Paul's Career. — " In a poem, the expression is 
adapted to the conception. A rugged strain befits strong and terse 
thinking, while more flowing and mellifuous measures are better 
adapted to tender and plaintive musings. Perhaps we can thus account 



A. ». 37. 

DAMASCUS. 
Conversion 
of Saul. 



2I 4 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IX : 19, 25 



19. And when be had received meat, he was strengthened. Theu was Saul cer- 
tain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 

20. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of 
God. 

21. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed 
them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that 
he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? 

22. But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which 
dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ. 

23. H And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill 
him • 

24. But their laying wait was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day 
and night to kill him. 

25. Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket. 



for the differences which characterize human lives. Your life is smooth 
and flowing, or broken over stones of sorrow, or headlong in its 
impetuosity, because God's thought must be mated to the metre most 
suited to its expression. Paul's career reminds us of the Odyssey, the 
Uliad, the Paradise Lost, or the mighty conception of Dante. It is 
ocean-like in depth, variety and change." — F. B. Meyer in his Paul. 



" The proudest heart that ever beat 

Hath been subdued in me ; 
The wildest will that ever rose — 
To scorn thy cause or aid thy foes — 

Is quelled, my God, by Thee ! " 

— W. Howe. 



22. Confounded, a-vvi\wiv, from <H>v, together, and \iu>, to pour out; 
hence to pour together, as the thoughts and feelings in an indistin- 
guishable mixture, to bewilder, to confound (which is the same metaphor 
in Latin). 



Proving (<rv[i.pipd£cov) — "The verb means to bring or put together: 
hence to compare and examine, as evidence, and so to prove. Used in the 
literal and physical sense in Eph. iv. 16. In Col. ii. 2, of being knit 
together in love. In 1 Cor. ii. 16, of instructing, building up, by putting 
together." — M. R. Vincent. 



The Three Years of Preparation. — Between verses 22 and 23, lie 
three years in Arabia, preparing for his great work, as hyacinth bulbs 
need several weeks of rest in darkness after they are planted, in order 
to form roots, or they will not flower strongly. 



IX: 26-31 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 215 



26. And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to 
join himself to the disciples : but they were all afraid of him, 
and believed not that he was a disciple. 

27. But Barnabas took him, and brought Mm to the apostles, 
and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, 
and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly 
at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 

28. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jeru- 
salem. »i* "i* 

29. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and 
disputed against the Grecians : but they went about to slay him. 

30. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cesare'a, and 
sent him forth to Tiir'sus 

SI. Then had the churches rest throughout all Jude'a and Galilee and Samaria, 
and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the 
Holy Ghost, were multiplied. 



Library. — Hugh Miller's My Schools and Schoolmasters, and Goethe's 
Wilhelm Meister, give the story of the preparation and training of men 
for their greater work. Almost every biography of great men shows 
the same period, longer or shorter of preparation. 



Down by the Wall in a Basket. — "As I stood with a friend, says a 
recent traveler, who resided at Damascus, looking at the place referred 
to, a couple of men came to the top of the wall with a broad flat basket 
full of rubbish, which they emptied over the wall. Such a basket, said 
my friend, the people use here for almost every sort of thing. If they 
are digging a well, and wish to send a man down into it, they put him 
into such a basket ; and that those who aided Paul's escape should have 
used a basket for the purpose was entirely natural according to the 
present customs of the country. Pilgrims are admitted into the monas- 
tery at Mount Sinai in a similar manner." — Prof. Hackett. Falstaff, in 
Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor, found a basket plenty large 
enough to hold a man " two yards around the waist." 



29. Went about iirex^pow, took in hand (4irC, upon, \"p ; the hand), 
undertook, attempted. 



29. Reference. — Spakeboldly. See on 4:13, the boldness of Feter 
and John. 



A. D. 39. 

DAMASCUS 
AND 
JERUSALEM. 
Saul's First 

Visit to 
Jerusalem 
after his 
Conver- 
sion. 



31. The COMFORT. irapaK\.Tj<r€i.. From irapaKaXe'w, to call to one's side, 
in order to help or comfort. {Comforter in John, 14 : 16, etc., is another 



2l6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IX 126-31 



form of the same word) ; hence exhortation, i. e. aiding by words, or 
consolation, or advocating, as a counselor aids by defending our cause 
against our adversary. Prof Vincent says: "Here exhortation is the 
rendering approved by the best authorities, to be construed with was 
multiplied : ivas multiplied by the exhortation of the Holy Ghost ; i. e. , 
by the Holy Spirit inspiring the preachers, and moving the hearts of the 
hearers." 



31. Then Had the Churches Rest. — "The hurricane of persecution 
was now hushed, and under the genial influence of peace they grew. 
Peace in the nation is the time to build houses and develop resources. 
Peace in nature is the time for sowing and cultivation. Persecution, 
like storms, may deepen the roots of piety when it exists, but is unfav- 
orable to the dissemination of seed and the growth of fragile plants." — 
D. Thomas, D. D. 



Rest and Persecution. — There are certain qualities developed by 
persecution ; but all persecution is bad for any church or any person. 
The best health comes from sunshine. There are jewels at the bottom of 
the stream that can be seen only when the surface of the water is calm. 
See illustration from the Lamps in the Tomb of Terence, under viii : 8. 



Power of Rest. — A lighthouse keeper was asked what he did to 
keep his lighthouse safe in a storm. He said he was there to save ves- 
sels, not lighthouses. He felt perfectly safe in the lighthouse and so 
could give all his time to saving vessels. The church that is at rest can 
devote all its energies to its work for Christ. By this work the church 
is edified. It becomes a holy temple filled with the Spirit of God. 



Rest of Activity. — " In a little poem by Alice W. Rollins, she tells of 
watching a potter at his work, whose one foot was kept with ' never- 
slackening speed, turning his swift wheel round,' while the other foot 
rested patiently on the ground. When he heard the exclamation of 
sympathy with him in his toil, ' How tired his foot must be ! ' the pot- 
ter corrected the common mistake as to the real source of weariness : 

Slowly he raised his patient eyes, 
With homely truth inspired ; 
' No, rnarm, it isn't the foot that kicks, 
The one that stands gets tired.' " 

— Sunday School Times. 



IX: 26-3I THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 217 

Rest With the Ark in the House. 

" The house of Obed-Edom 

Where safe the ark abode, 
What time were wars and fightings 

On every mountain road, 
What time was pitched the battle 

In every valley fair, 
The house of Obed-Edom 

Had peace beyond compare. 

With famine on the border 

And fury in the camp, 
With the starving children huddled 

In the black tent's shivering damp, 
With the mother's crying sadly 

And every moan a prayer — 
In the house of Obed-Edom 

Was neither want nor care. 

The fields of Obed-Edom 

No foeman trod them down, 
The towers of Obed-Edom 

Were like a fortressed town, 
And only grace and gladness 

Came speeding on the road, 
To the house of Obed-Edom, 

Wherein the ark abode. 

And far and near they told it, 

The men who passed that way, 
How fell Jehovah's blessing 

On that home by night and day ; 
How the smallest to the greatest 

Had joy and hope and love, 
While the roof of Obed-Edom 

Was watched by God above. 

The line of Obed-Edom 

Is on the earth to-day ; 
In the house of Obed-Edom 

Still he may safely stay 
Who, dearer than all treasure 

For which men toil and plod, 
Shall prize the covenant-blessing, 

The hallowed ark of God. 



* * 

A. ». 40. I 

PALESTINE. 

Paul 
in Cilicia. 



2l8 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS IX:26-3I 

And never strife nor clamor 

Shall break the tranquil spell 
In which our Lord's beloved 

Forever safely dwell. 
In the house of Obed Edoni, 

In sunlight or in dark, 
Abides the ceaseless blessing 

That rests within the ark." 

— Margaret E. Sangster, in the Congregationali&t. 



Rest. 

1 ' ' When winds are raging o'er the upper ocean 
And billows wild contend with angry roar, 
'Tis said, far down beneath the wild commotion, 
That peaceful stillness reigneth evermore. 

2 Far, far beneath, the noise of tempests dieth, 

And silver waves chime ever peacefully, 
And no rude storm, how fierce soe'er it flieth, 
Disturbs the Sabbath of that deeper sea. 

3 So to the heart that knows Thy love, O Purest, 

There is a temple, sacred evermore. 
And all the babble of life's angry voices 
Dies in hushed stillness at its peaceful door. 

4 Far, far away, the roar of passion dieth, 

And loving thoughts rise calm and peacefully, 
And no rude storm, how fierce soe'er it flieth, 
Disturbs the soul that dwells, O Lord, in Thee. 

5 O Rest of rest! O Peace, serene, eternal ! 

Thou ever livest, and Thou changest never; 
And in the secret of Thy presence dwelleth 
Fullness of joy forever and forever ." 

— Harriet Beecher Stoive. 



Peace, Perfect Peace. 

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin 
The word of Jesus whispers peace within. 

Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed: 
To do the will of Jesus, — this is rest. 



"1 

2 



3 Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round: 
On Jesus' bosom naught but calm is found. 



LX: 32-35 THE ACT S OF THE APOSTLES 2ig 

* * 

32. If And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all 
quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at 
Lyd'da. 

33. And there he found a certain man named E'neas, which 
had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. 

34. And Peter said unto him, E'neas, Jesus Christ maketh 
thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. 

35. And all that dwelt at Lyd da and Sa'ron saw him, and turned to the Lord. 



4 Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones faraway: 
In Jesus' keeping we are safe, and they. 

5 Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown: 
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne. 

6 Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours: 
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers. 

7 It is enough; earth's struggles soon shall cease, 
And Jesus call us to Heaven's perfect peace." 

— Edward H. Bickersteth. 



Historical Reason for This Rest from Persecution. — Roman 
history throws a great deal of light on this rest from persecution 
which enabled Peter to go where he would without hindrance, and 
indeed made it almost useless for the apostles to preach in Jeru- 
salem. The fact was that the Jews themselves were being persecuted 
by the Roman emperor, so that they had neither time nor thought for 
the Christians. Caius Caligula became emperor in A. D. 37, 
about the time of Stephen's death. He was self-willed, Jews 
impious and cruel. He determined to establish the worship Troubled by 
of himself as God all over the world. The pagans yielded, Caligula, 
but the Jews refused. In A. D. 39, lie ordered Petronius, 
the Roman governor, to set up his statue in the Jewish temple bearing 
the inscription, 4 ' Caius the Incarnation of Jupiter." The Jewish officials 
declared that such an outrage could be carried out only over the dead 
bodies of the citizens. The whole population streamed toward Ptolemais 
where the governor was, covering the country far and wide and raising 
continually such cries and wailings as made the town's 
people declare that they would lose their hearing Finally Caligula's 
a vast throng in six columns of old women, matrons and Statue in 
maids, old men, men in their strength, and boys, gathered Jerusalem, 
before the palace of the governor, and threw themselves on 
the earth with wild outcries when the governor appeared on the bal- 



LYDDA AND 
JOPPA. 

Miracles by 
Peter. 



220 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 1X132-35 



cony. They declared they would die, but never give way. Petronius 
made every effort to persuade the emperor to change the edict, but the 
utmost he would grant was that the statue might be set up outside the 
temple walls. Many altars were raised in Jerusalem to the emperor, 
and it was reported that in Alexandria every Jewish synagogue had 
been turned into a temple of Caesar. This lasted till January A. D. 41, 
on the 24th day of which Caligula was murdered. See Geikie's Neiv 
Test. Hours, TJie Apostles, " Palestine under Caligula.'''' 



Library. — See the whole story told at length in Josephus, Anti- 
quities, Book XVIII., ch. viii., 8, and in his Wars. Book II., ch. x. This 
story, which is little known to Bible students, is most interesting. 

"Lightfoot has remarked {Essays on Supernatural Religion) that no 
book of the Bible has so many points of contact with current history 
and politics as the Acts, and can therefore be more easily tested. This 
special case is an interesting illustration of the learned bishop's view.'' 
— Prof. Stokes. 



Rest in Trouble.— A Water Lily. — Out of this terrible state of 
things there arose good to the Gospel, which had free course and was 
glorified. 

1 ' Radiant and pure as a pearl 
The exquisite petals unfold, 
And fragrance like frankincense floats 
From the bosom of tremulous gold. 

Such mystical innocent beauty, 

With subtle- sweet odorous breath, 
Has sprung where the water broods black 

Over evil and darkness and death." 

— Z. D. Uhderhill, in Harper's Magazine. 



Peter Passed Through all Quarters. — " When the storm is 
raging, the mariner's chief attention is given to the safety of the ship, 
and the post of the officer is on deck ; but when the wind is gone down, 
he can go below, and make minute examination of the cargo and the 
hull. So while persecution was hot at Jerusalem, Peter's place was in 
Jerusalem, but when an interval of relief was enjoyed, he took the 
opportunity of making an apostolic visitation of the different churches 
which had been founded in Palestine." — Wm. M. Taylor, D. D. 



IX : 36 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 221 

: ^ 4. 

86 II Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named 
Tab'Itha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman 
was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did 



36. Dorcas, Full of Good Works - "An old 
legend says that once three young ladies disputed 
about their hands, as to whose were the most beautiful. One of them 
dipped her hand in the pure stream, another plucked berries till her 
fingers were pink, and the third gathered flowers whose 
fragrance clung to her hands. An old haggard woman Beautiful 
passed by and asked for some gift, but all refused her. Hands. 
Another young woman, plain and with no claim to beauty 
of hand, satisfied her need. The old woman then said, ' It is not the 
hand that is washed in the brook, nor the hand tinted with red, nor the 
hand garlanded and perfumed with flowers, that is most beautiful, but 
the hand that gives to the poor.' As she spoke her wrinkles were gone, 
her staff was thrown away, and she stood there an angel from heaven. 
This is only a legend, but its judgment is true: the beautiful hands are 
those that minister in Christ's name to others." — Dr. J. JR. Miller, in 
Practical Religion. 



One of the committees of the Junior Christian Endeavor is the Sun- 
shine Committee. Dorcas was on this committee. 



Angels in the Kitchen. — " In one of Murillo's pictures in the Louvre, 
he shows us the interior of a convent kitchen ; but doing the work 
there are not mortals in old dresses, but beautiful, white- winged angels. 
One serenely puts the kettle on the fire to boil, and one is lifting up a 
pail of water with heavenly grace, and one is at the kitchen dresser 
reaching up for plates ; and I believe there is a little cherub running 
about and getting in the way, trying to help. . . . All are so busy, 
and working with such a will, and so refining the work as they do it, 
that somehow you forget that pans are pans, and pots are pots, and only 
think of the angels, and how very natural and beautiful kitchen work 
is, — just what the angels would do, of course." — William G. Gannett. 



Legend of the Artist-Monk. — " The smallest services we can ren- 
der, if love inspires them, He accepts. Thus we can make the com- 
monest tasks of our lives holy ministries as sacred as what the angels do. 
There is a legend of a monk who painted in an old convent cell pictures 
of martyrs and holy saints and of the sweet Christ face with the crown 
of thorn. Men called his pictures poor daubs, 



A. ». 40. 

LYDDA and 

JOPPA. 
Miracles by 
Peter. 



222 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IX: 36 



" One night the poor monk mused, ' Could I but render 
Honor to Christ as other painters do — 
Were but my skill as great as is the tender 
Love that inspires me when His cross I view.' 

" ' But no , ' tis vain I toil and strive in sorrow ; 
What man so scorns, still less can He admire; 
My life's work is all valueless ; to-morrow 
I'll cast my ill- wrought pictures in the fire.' 

" He raised his eyes within his cell — O wonder ! 
There stood a Visitor; thorn-crowned was He. 
And a sweet voice the silence rent asunder 
' I scorn no work that's done for love of Me.' 

" And round the walls the paintings shone resplendent 
With lights and colors to this world unknown ; 
A perfect beauty, and a hue transcendent, 
That never yet on mortal canvas shone.'' 

There is a beautiful meaning in the old legend, Christ scorns no work 
that is done for love of Him. Most of us have much drudgery in our 
lives, but even this we can make glorious by doing it through love for 
Christ." — J. B. Miller, D. D, 

Reference — See under 28 il. the poem ' ' If the Dear Lord Should 
Send an Angel Down.' 



Loch Katrine, embowered among the highlands of Scotland, a 
poem in water, immortalized in story and song till it seems almost 
transfigured with a glory beyond its natural beauty and charm, is yet 
the source of the water supply of the city of Glasgow, flowing down 
among the homes of the poor, cleansing the filth from the streets, 
bringing refreshment, cheer, comfort, cleanliness, and 
health everywhere. So lately Lake Thirlmere, in the Loch 
charming English lake country, has become the source of Katrine, 
the water supply of the great city of Manchester. Thus 
should every one who possesses talent, or wealth, or culture, or educa- 
tion, or time, or anything good, find a great privilege in sending his 
blessings down to all who are in need. 



Cromwell and the Silver Apostles.—" There are thousands of men 
in our churches who, notwithstanding all that has been said of Christian 
stewardship, do not comprehend the alphabet of this doctrine. When 
Oliver Cromwell visited Yorkminster Cathedral, in England, his atten- 
tion was drawn to 12 staues of the apostles, in silver, which stood near 



IX: 3 6 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



223 



the ceiling of one of the apartments. Looking upon >%* »J« 

them for a moment, he said, ' Who are those fellows 
standing yonder?' On being informed, he exclaimed, 
'Take them down and let them go about doing good.' 
Accordingly they were melted down and put into 
his treasury. So let a right sentiment of Christian * *i* 
stewardship once obtain, and many a wealthy professor, as he surveyed 
his splendid establishment, would be constrained to convert his ex- 
travagant decorations and costly plate into money for the Lord's 
treasury, thus sending them forth on the sublime errand of doing 
good." — Fisli's Primitive Piety revievecl. 



Library. — Hood's The Lady's Dream, where she saw the funeral 
procession of one who had died through her neglect ; and the sick, the 
starving, whom she might have helped; — their sad eyes burned her 
very soul. 

" And yet it was never in my soul 
To play so ill a part: 
But evil is wrought by want of thought, 
As well as by want of heart. "' 



Wrought into Gold. 

" I saw a smile, — to a poor man 'twas given, 

And he was old. 
The sun broke forth ; I saw that smile in heaven 

Wrought into Gold. 
Gold of such lustre never was vouchsafed to us ; 
It made the very light of day more luminous. 

I saw a toiling woman sinking down 

Footsore and cold. 
A soft hand covered her — the humble gown, 

Wrought into gold, 
Grew straight imperishable, and will be shown 
To smiling angels gathered round the judgment throne. 

Wrought into gold ! We that pass down life's hours 

So carelessly, 
Might make the dusty way a path of flowers 

If we would try. 
Then every gentle deed we've done, or kind word given, 
Wrought into gold, would make us wondrous rich in heaven." 



A. D. 40. 

LYDDA AND 

JOPPA 
Miracles by 

Peter. 



224 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IX: 36 



Legend of St. Thomas. — There is a legend that when St. Thomas 
was at Cesarea our Lord appeared to him and said that Gondoforus, 
King of the Indies, had sent for skilled workmen to build him a palace 
finer than that of the Emperor of Rome. *' Behold, now, I send thee to 
him." Thomas went, and King Gondoforus commanded him to build a 
magnificent palace, and gave him much gold and silver for the purpose ; 
and then went into a distant country for two years. In the mean time St. 
Thomas spent the treasures entrusted to him, in helping the poor and 
the sick. When the King returned and found no palace, he was full 
of wrath, and put the apostle in prison to await a horrible death. 
While he was there the King's brother died, and after four days sud- 
denly arose, and said to the King, " The man thou wouldst torture is a 
servant of God. Behold I have been in Paradise, and the angels 
showed me a wonderful palace of gold and silver and precious stones, 
saying 'This is the palace that Thomas the architect hath built for thy 
brother, King Gondoforus. ' " 

Library. — Mrs. Jamieson's Sacned and Legendary Art gives the story 
in full. 



Library. — The great need in giving is the giver with the gift. This 
is well illustrated in Lowell's " Vision of Sir Launfal : " 
" Not what we give, but what we share, — 
For the gift without the giver is bare ; 
Who gives himself with bis alms feeds three, — 
Himself, his hungering neighbor and Me." 



The Angel of Little Sacrifices. — Have you never seen her at 
work — the angel of little sacrifices. Have you never at least felt her 
influence? In every Christian family God has placed the angel of 
little sacrifices, trying to remove all the thorns, to lighten all the 
burdens, to share all the fatigues. The angel of little sacrifices has 
received from heaven the mission of those angels of whom the prophet 
speaks, who remove the stones from the road lest they should bruise 
the feet of travelers. But who will tell the thorns that have torn her 
hands, the pain her heart has endured ? And yet she is always smiling. 
Have you never seen her at work, "the angel of little sacrifices?" 
On earth she is called a mother, a friend, a sister, a wife. In heaven 
she is called a saint. 



1. " We all might do good where we often do ill, 
There's always a way, if we have but the will : 

2 We all might do good in a thousand small ways ; 
Forbearing to flatter, yet giving due praise ; 



IX: 37-41 THE ACTS 0F THE apostles 225 



37. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick and 
died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper 
chamber. 

38. And forasmuch as Lyd'da was nigh to Jop'pa, and the 
disciples bad heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him 
two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. 

39. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought 
him into the upper chamber; and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shew- 
ing the coats and garments which Dor'cas made, while she was with them. 

40. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning 
him to the body said, Tab'itha, arise. And she opened her eyes ; and when she 
saw Peter, she sat up. 

41. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up ; and when he had called the 
saints and widows, he presented her alive. 

3. We all might do good, whether lowly or great, 
A deed is not judged by the purse or estate ; 

1. - For even a word, kindly breath'd or suppressed, 

May guard oft some pain, or give peace to some breast. 

2. In spurning ill rumor, reproving wrong done, 
And treating but kindly the heart we have won. 

3. If only a cup of cold water is giv'n, 

Like the mite of the widow, 'tis something for heav'n." 



Hymn.— 

" Let us scatter seeds of kindness 
For our reaping by and by." 



A. D. 40. 

LYDDA AND 
JOPPA. 

Miracles by 
Peter. 



39. Shewing, iiriSeiKvviAevai, in the middle voice, they exhibited on 
themselves. 



Dorcas' Needle was as noble as Moses' rod, or David's sling, or 
Shamgar's ox goad. For it was her answer to the Lord's question. 
Exodus 4:2. — C. 8. Robinson, D. D. 



41. He Presented Her Alive. 

Write on the tombstones of our friends, " To be continued. " 



" Health's crimson light o'erspread his face, 
His eyes were fire, his step was grace ; 
No trace of what it was before 
The metamorphosed body wore. " — Berguer. 

15 



226 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



IX:42, 43 



42. And it was known throughout all Jop'pa ; and many believed in the Lord. 

43. And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Jop'pa with one Simon a 
tanner. 



Through Lazarus' Glasses.— Robert Browning, in his poem 
"An Epistle," supposed to have been written by an Arab physician who 
was visiting Palestine while Lazarus was still alive, describes the way 
Lazarus looked at this life after he had returned from his four days' 
dwelling in heaven. Earthly cares and hopes were so small and dim 
in that light. " How many cares and worries would disappear if 
viewed through Lazarus' glasses!" "On the other hand, through 
these same wonderful glasses, how important and weighty is any 
seemingly slight occurrence if it plants the seed of vice or 
virtue in any human heart." "We ought to test each Feelings 
event of life through these glasses." " Does it affect merely of One 
my material circumstances, or has it an influence on my Risen 
character, my spiritual self, or on my friend's character, from 
my friend's soul ? " See article in Congregationalist for Nov. the Dead. 
2, 1893, " Through Lazarus' Glasses." 

Library. — Robert Hardy's Seven Days, by Rev. C. Sheldon; Robert 
Browning s " An Epistle," in his Poems, E. H. Plumptre's, Lazarus 
and other poems. 



Legend of St. Thomas. — There is a quaint legend which tells how, 
some years after the event, St. Thomas was again troubled with agon- 
izing doubts as to our Lord's resurrection. He sought the apostles, and 
began to pour his soul's troubles into their ears. But first one, then the 
other, looked at him in astonishment, and told the unhappy doubter 
that he was sorry for him, but really he had so much to 
do he had no time to listen to his tale. Then he was fain Doubts 
to impart his woes to some devout women. But they, as Removed 
busy as Dorcas, and in like employment, soon made him by 
understand that they had no leisure for such thoughts as Christian 
these. At last it dawned upon him that perhaps it was Work, 
because they were so busy that they were free from the 
doubts by which he was tortured. He took the hint ; he went to 
Parthia, occupied himself in preaching Christ's Gospel, and was never 
troubled with doubts any more. 



43. With one Simon a Tanner. — " An order was issued not long ago 
by the Sultan, for removing the old walls and dismantling the forti- 
fications of Jaffa. In cutting a gate through a water battery at an 



IX : 42, 43 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



227 



angle of the seawall built by Titus Vespasian, and »5* 4" 

directly in front of the reputed '• house of one Simon 
a tanner," they came upon three oval -shaped tan- 
ners' vats hewn out of the natural rock, and lined with 
Roman cement, down very near the sea, and similar 
in every respect to those in use eighteen centuries 
ago The house on the rocky bluffs above, from which steps lead 
down to the vats, may in all probability have been the 
identical spot where the house of Simon stood, with Discovery 
whom Peter was sojourning when he saw his wonderful of House 
vision, and received the servants of Cornelius, who came of Simom 
all the way from Csesarea to have the apostle visit their the Tanner, 
master in that city, and preach to him the word of life and 
salvation. (1890)." — H. L. Hastings, D. D. 



LYDDA AND 
JOPPA. 

Miracles by 
Peter. 



228 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS X: I, 2 



CHAPTER X. 



1. There was a certain man in Cesare'a called Corne'lius, a 
centurion of the band called the Ital'ian band, 

2. A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, 
which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God 
always. 



Picture. — St. Peter in the house of Cornelius; by Dore, London. 



Library. — Cornelius. In Dawson's Modern Science on Bible Lands, 
p. 86, is a picture and description of one of the Cornelian family, from 
the remains of Pompeii. His house with a bust of C. Cornelius Rufus 
is still there, and a plaster cast of his buried form is in the Pompeian 
Museum. 



Italian Band. — The name of the Italian cohort is found also in an 
ancient inscription upon a marble tablet found in the forum of Sem- 
pronius in Rome, which, given in full, is — "Cohors militum Italicorum 
voluntaria, quae est in Syria." 



2. Gave Much Alms : — 

" A loving deed is a living seed 
Which finds full fruitage never ; 
Its tree doth grow through calm and blow, 
And blooms and yields forever. 



Library. — Henry Van Dyke's book, just out, The Other Wise Man, 
who started to go with the three wise men in search of the new born 
King of the Jews, but was detained at various times on the way by 
deeds of charity, and gave to the needy the three precious jewels 
he has sold all his property for, in order to give them to the babe at 
Bethlehem. But he found the Lord at last in a way so different from 
his expectation. 

And Prayed to God Always. 

" Say, what is prayer, when it is prayer indeed ? 
The mighty utterance of a mighty deed. 



A. D. 40. 

CESAREA. 
Vision of 
Cornelius. 



X:3-i3 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



229 



3. He saw in a vision evidently, about the niuth hour of the 
day, an angel of God coming into him, and sayiug uato him, 
Corne'lius. 

4. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, 

What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and *i> *f« 

thine alms, are come up for a memorial before God. 

5. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Sl'mon, whose surname is Peter : 

6. He lodgeth with one Si'mou a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall 
tell thee what thou oughtest to do. 

7. And when the angel which spake unto Corne'lius was departed, he called two 
of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him con- 
tinually ; 

8. And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Jop'pa. 

9. 1f On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, 
Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: 

10. And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made 
ready, he fell into a trance. 

11. And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had 
been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth : 

12. Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, 
and creeping things and fowls of the air. 

13. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 



A. ». 40. 

JOPPA. 
Peter's 
Visiou. 



' ' The man is praying who cloth press with might 
Out of his darkness into God's own light. 

"All skirts extended of thy mantle hold 
"When angel hands from heaven are scattering gold." 

— R. C. French. 

" What am I ? 
An infant crying in the night, 
An infant crying for the light, 
And with no language but a cry. — Tennyson. 



With his Face Toward the Dawn. — " In Didron's Christian Icon- 
ography (Fig. 52), an old Greek miniature represents Isaiah, with Night 
behind him, veiled and sullen, and holding a reversed torch. But 
before him stands Dawn and Innocence, a little child, witli bright 
face and forward step, and torch erect a-burning. From above a 
hand pours light upon the face of the prophet, turned upwards." — 
George Adam Smith. 

3. Vision, 'Opa^cm, something seen. Compare Trance in ver. 10. 



4. Looked on (him) arevio-as, fastening his eyes on him, from Te£v», to 
stretchy just like our word attention. Stretched to. 



230 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



X: 3 -i3 



4. Prayers — A Memorial Before God. — It was an old Jewish 
fancy that Sandalphon, the angel of prayer, stands at the gate of heaven 
receiving into his hands the supplications of earth — 

" From the spirits on earth that adore, 
From the souls that entreat and implore 

In the fervor of passion and prayer ; 
From the hearts that are broken with losses, 
And weary with dragging the crosses 

Too heavy for mortals to bear. 

"And he gathers the prayers as he stands, 
And they change into flowers in his hands — 

Into garlands of purple and red ; 
And beneath the great arch of the portal, 
Through the streets of the city immortal, 
Is wafted the fragrance they shed." 

— Longfellow's Poems, "Sandalphon." 

Reference. — Delayed blessing's office. See under 1 :4. 
Library. — Expectation Corner. A capital allegory on prayer. A 
booklet costing 8 cts. 



Blessings Come to the Prepared. — " A blessing for which we are 
unprepared would only be an untimely blessing, and, like a December 
swallow, it would soon die, without nest or brood. And sometimes the 
long delay is but a test of faith, whetting and sharpening the desire." — 
H. Burton. 



6. He Shall Tell Thee. — The answers to our prayers greatly exceed 
our asking or our expectation. We do not know enough to ask as great 
and good things as God loves to give us. Almost every 
blessing God gives us contains other blessings, which the Answers 
eye of the asker had not seen, nor had entered his heart to Exceeding 
conceive. For example, the gifts of the new heart, of Our 
larger faith, of opportunities of usefulness, of the Holy Prayers. 
Spirit. The child asks an alphabet, but he cannot com- 
prehend the infinite treasures of literature enfolded therein. 



Mines Hidden Beneath the Fertile Field. — We ask God for a fair 
crop from the field he gives us, and yet beneath the soil are mines of 
gold and silver, or coal or iron. We are continually finding that the 
common gifts of light and air and water contain powers and blessings 
that no wildest dream ever conceived. 



X:3-i3 THE ACTS 0F THE apostles 231 



First Best and Second Best. 
"God has His best things for the few 
That dare to stand the test ; 
God has His second choice for those 
Who will not have His best. 

" It is not always open ill 

That risks the Promised Rest ; 
'The better,' often is the foe 

That keeps us from the ' best. ' 

" There's scarcely one but vaguely wants 
In some way to be blessed ; 
'Tis not Thy blessing. Lord, I seek, 
I want Thy very best. 

" And others make the highest choice, 
But when by trials pressed, 
They shrink, they yield, they shun the cross, 
And so they lose the best. 

" I want, in this short life of mine, 

As much as can be pressed 
Of service true for God and man ; 

Help me to be my best. 

" I want among the victor throng 
To have my name confessed ; 
And hear my Master say at last, 
Well done ; you did your best." 



10. A Trance, eWTao-is, from which our word ecstasy. From Ik, out of, 
and i'o-TTi|u, to place or put, hence, removal out of himself, out of the 
body into the spiritual world. " A trance or ecstasy came upon him." 



9. Prayed About the Sixth Hour. — The advantages of regular hours 
for prayer and worship. They become natural, a part of the unconscious 
movement of life, a holy habit, in which one moves as the express train 
on the rails, as the right words to an orator, the right notes to a musician. 



Habits of Prayer. — " Habit is the most significant word to be found 
in the English vocabulary. Get an artist to paint it in letters of fire and 
hang it on the walls of your chamber where your eye shall catch its 
message when you retire, and where it may greet you again with the 
rising sun. Gaze upon it until it is deeply cut in the sanctuary of your 



A. D. 40 

JOPPA. 
Peter's 
Vision. 



232 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



X: 14-18 



14. But Peter said, Not so, Lord ; for I have never eateu auy thing that is common 
or unclean. 

15. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, 
iliat call not thou common. 

16. This" was done thrice; and the vessel was received up again into heaven. 

17. Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should 
mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for 
Slm'on's house, and stood before the gate. 

18. And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged 
there. 



inner being, just where the lamp of life may cast its ruddy light over it. 
Habit is to be your curse or your benediction ; it is either to conquer 
you or enable you to conquer. To-day it is transforming 
you into a sycophant or a prince of freedom. To-day you Power of 
are either girding your soul with fetters of sorrow or build- Habit, 
ing a chariot that will conduct you to Paradise. Good hab- 
its are as potent for emancipation as vile ones are for slavery and anguish. 
One may resolutely form habits of purity, honesty, fidelity, till he 
breathes the air of divinity as his native air. As he eventually becomes 
an expert and master in melody, by years of inexorable drill, he may 
become divine by a like inexorable fidelity to the principles of righteous- 
ness. Each day his own hand either places a coronal on his brow or 
pushes the dagger to his vitals. He is building his dungeon or his 
mansion." — Clarence Lathbury. 

10. Library. — Phillips Brooks' Twenty Sermons, " Visions and Tasks." 



15. Call not Thou Common (<ri> jit] koivov). — The thought goes deeper 
than merely styling "common." Lit., do not thou defile. Do not 
profane it by regarding and calling it common. Rev., " make not thou 
common." — M. R. Vincent. 



15. What God Hath Cleansed. — The disciples were to receive the 
Gentiles, not before cleansing, but when God had cleansed them ; and 
to know that God could cleanse them, and so bring the cleansing gospel 
to them. Mr. Ruskin, in his Modern Painters, tells that the black mud 
or slime from a foot-path in the outskirts of a manufacturing town — 
the absolute type of impurity — is composed of four elements, — clay, 
mixed with soot, a little sand, and water. These four maybe separated 
each from the other. The clay particles, left to follow their own instinct 
of unity, become a clear, hard substance so set that it can deal with 
light in a wonderful way, and gather out of it the loveliest blue rays only, 



X : 19, 20 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 233 

* * 

19. IT While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto 
him, Behold, three men seek thee. 

20. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, 
doubting nothing; for I have sent them. 
. ^ ^ 

refusing the rest. We call it then a sapphire. The sand arranges itself 
in mysterious, infinitely fine parallel liDes, which reflect the blue, green, 
purple, and red rays in the greatest beauty. We call it then an opal. 
The soot becomes the hardest thing in the world, and for the blackness 
it had obtains the power of reflecting all the rays of the sun at once in 
the vividest blaze that any solid thing can shoot. We call it then a 
diamond Last of all, the ivater becomes a dew-drop, and a crystalline 
star of snow. Thus God can and does transform the slime of the streets 
into pure and shining jewels fit for His home in heaven, and the church 
is to receive into its bosom, not the mud, but the jewels into which God 
has transformed it. 

Transformations. — Nature is full of symbols of this transforming 
work in the Gospels. Some of our most beautiful flowers have been 
developed from common weeds. The most luscious apples are the 
transformed offspring of the common crab-apple. The diamond is 
transformed charcoal. Whitest paper fit for a queen's message or poet's 
inspiration is made from beggars' rags. Roses grow out of the vile 
ground. 

Reference. — See several illustrations under 2:47. 



20. Arise and Get Thee Down. — Only by descending from the 
housetop of prayer and vision to the common daily life, could the vision 
become a part of his life ever enduring. In "The Legend Beautiful," 
in Longfellows's Tales of a Wayside Inn, a monk had been longing and 
praying for a better life, and that he might see Jesus Himself. At 
length, one day, the vision came, flooding the room with its radiant 
shining. While he was gazing entranced upon his Lord, the convent 
bell tolled the hour when it was his duty to go out and feed the poor. 
He hesitated, for he hated to leave the vision, and feared it would not 
remain for his return. Should he who, 

" Rapt in silent ecstasy 
Or divinest self surrender, 
Saw the vision and the splendor, — 
Should he slight his radiant guest, 
Slight this visitant celestial 
For a crowd of ragged, bestial 
Beggars at the convent gate ? " 



A. ». 40. 

JOPPA. 
Peter's 
Vision. 



234 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS X : ig, 20 



But he heard the voice, - 

" ' Do thy duty ; that is best ; 

Leave unto thy Lord the rest.' " 

He fed the beggars, and, returning, found the vision still there 
" When the blessed Vision said, 
* Hadst thou stayed, I must have fled.' " 



The Vision and the Summons. 
" The trance of golden afternoon 
Lay on the Judean skies ; 
The trance of vision, like a swoon, 

Sealed the Apostle's eyes. 
Upon the roof he sat and saw- 
Angelic hands let down and draw 
Again the mighty vessel full 
Of beasts and birds innumerable. 

Three times the heavenly vision fell, 

Three times the Lord's voice spoke ; 
When Peter, loath to break the spell, 
Roused from his trance, and woke, 
- To hear a common sound and rude, 
Which jarred and shook his solitude, — 
A knocking at the doorway near, 
Where stood the two from Cesarea. 

And should he heed, or should he stay ? 

Scarce had the vision fled, — 
Perchance it might return that day, 

Perchance more words be said 
By the Lord's voice. — He rises slow ; 
Again the knocking ; he must go ; 
Nor guessed, while going down the stair, 
That 't was the Lord who called him there. 

Had he sat still upon the roof, 

Wooing the vision long, 
The Gentile world had missed the truth, 

And Heaven one " sweet new song." 
Souls might have perished in blind pain, 
And the Lord Christ have died in vain 
For them. He knew not what it meant, 
But Peter rose and Peter went. 



X:2I, 22 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 235 



21. Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto 
him from Corne'lius; aud said, Behold, I am he whom ye 
seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come? 

22. And they said, Corne'lius the centurion, a just man, and 
one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation 
of the Jews, was warned from God by a holy angel to send for 
thee into his house, and to hear words of thee. 



O Souls which sit in upper air, 

Longing for heavenly sight, 
Glimpses of truth all fleeting-fair, 

Set in unearthly light, — 
Is there no knocking heard below, 
For which you should arise and go, 
Leaving the vision, and again 
Bearing its message unto men ? 

Sordid the world were vision not, 

But fruitless were your stay ; 
So, having seen the sight, and got 

The message, haste away. 
Though pure and bright thy higher air, 
And hot the street and dull the stair, 
Still get thee down, for who shall know 
But 't is the Lord who knocks below." 

— Susan Coolidge. 

21. Note the intertwining of God's providences. 

In Keble's Christian Year, familiar lines give a good commentary on 
the coincidence of the prayers of Peter and Cornelius. 

" The saint beside the ocean prayed, 
The soldier in his chosen bower." 



The Combinations of Chess. — That God is a Father and never 
overlooks the individual in the mass, is a truth of the greatest practi- 
cal importance to us. God never uses men as a chess player does his 
pawns — to win a victory for himself without regard to pieces used. 
The chess player moves his pieces here or there for the sake of the 
game. God rules and overrules the affairs of history for the sake of 
individuals while carrying out his larger plans. " — W. E. G. Wright. 

Library, see Huxley's remarks on Retzsch's famous picture of the 
Game of Chess, in his Lay Sermons. 



A. ». 40. 

CESAREA. 
Conversion 
of 

Cornelius. 



236 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



X: 23-33 



23. Then called he them iu, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went 
away with them, and certain brethren from Jop'pa accompanied him. 

24. And the morrow after they entered into Cesare'a. And Corne'lius waited 
for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. 

25. And as Peter was coming in, Corne'lius met him, and fell down at his feet, 
and worshipped Mm. 

26. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man. 

27. And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come 
together. 

28. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man 
that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation ; but God hath 
shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 

29. Therefore came I unto yon without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for ; I 
ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me? 

30. And Corne'lius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the 
ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright 
clothing, 

31. And said, Corne'lius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remem- 
brance in the sight of God. 

32. Send therefore to Jop'pa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter ; he 
is lodged iu the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side : who, when he com- 
eth, shall speak unto thee. 

33. Immediately therefore I sent to thee ; and thou hast well done that thou art 
come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that 
are commanded thee of God. 



Correspondence Between Distant Plants. — ' ' In the Garden of 
Plants at Paris a certain rare tree grew for many years. It was a 
thriving and mature plant. Year by year it was covered with blossoms, 
and year by year the white blossoms were shed on the ground, leaving 
no fruit behind. After every promise it remained barren still. At 
last one season, although nothing extraordinary had been observed, 
after flower came fruit, and the tree for the first time brought to 
maturity self-propagating fruit. They sought and found the cause. 
Another tree of the same species but bearing flowers the counterpart and 
complement of this, had then for the first time blossomed in a garden 
at some distance. The small white dust from the flowers of the other 
tree, necessary to make the flowers of this tree fruitful, had been borne 
on the feet of bees, or wafted by the wind into their bosom, and forth- 
with they bore fruit. This in the natural department is the work of the 
same all-wise God, who prepared Cornelius for receiving Peter's word, 
and brought Peter with his word to Cornelius." — William Arnot, D. D. 

Library. — See many similar instances in Darwin's Origin of Species, 
Sir John Lubbock's Flowers and Insects, and any good book on the 
fertilization of plants. 



X: 34> 35 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 237 

^ * 

34. f Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I 
perceive that God is no respecter of persons ; 

35. But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh 
righteousness, is accepted with him. 



28. An Unlawful Thing, a8e'fUTov, from d, not, 
and Ti0rifu, to lay down, or establish; a thing not established by law. 



Picture. — Peter in the house of Cornelius, Dore. 



29. A Man in Bright Clothing. See on Acts 5 : 19. 



34. Of a Truth I Perceive. — A new truth was dawning in Peter's 
mind. Goethe's dying cry was " More light." Some one has added that 
our cry should be "More Love." "We need both. Peter received more 
light, and the result was more love. 



" But as, when thunder crashes nigh, 
All darkness opes one flaming eye, 
And the world leaps against the sky, 

So fiery clear 
Did the old truths that we pass by 

To him appear." — Wm. Watson. 



No Eespecter of Persons. — On the front of the building of some 
society in a western city, I saw the ancient Latin motto, " Procul, O 
procul, este profani," "Far away, keep far away, O ye profane,'" 
carved in stone. It is said that the building was formerly a church. If 
so, it is well that the congregation left it, for it is not a Christian motto. 
The church welcomes all of every race or name, and "welcome," not 
li procul" should be over her doors. 



Many Flowers in the Same Garden. — " ' Oh,' you say, 'I am such 
a little plant ; I do not grow well ; I do not put forth as much leafage, 
nor are there so many flowers on me, as many round about me.' It is 
quite right that you should think little of yourself ; perhaps to droop 
your head is part of your beauty. Many flowers had not been half so 
lovely if they had not practiced the art of hanging their heads. But 
' supposing Him to be the gardener, ' then He is as much a gardener to 
you as He is to the most lordly palm in the whole domain. In the Men 
tone garden grow the orange and the aloe, and others of the finer and 
more noticeable plants ; but on the wall to my left grow common wall 
flowers and saxifrages and tiny herbs such as we find on our own rocky 



A. ». 40. 

CESAREA. 

Conversion 
of 

Cornelius. 



238 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS X : 36-48 



36. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by- 
Jesus Christ: (He is Lord of all : ) 

37. That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and 
began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached ; 

38. How God anointed Jesus of Naz'areth with the Holy Ghost and with power: 
who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for 
God was with him. 

39. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, 
and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: 

40. Him God raised up the third day and shewed him openly ; 

41. Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even, to us, 
who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 

42. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he 
which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. 

43. To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever 
believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. 

44. *\ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which 
heard the word. 

45. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as 
came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the 
Holy Ghost. 

46. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered 
Peter, 

47. Can auy man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have 
received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 

4S. And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then 
prayed they him to tarry certain days. 



places. Now the gardener has cared for all of them, little as well as 
great. In fact, there were hundreds of specimens of the most insignifi- 
cant growths all duly labeled and described. The smallest saxifrage 
will say, ' He is my gardener just as surely as he is the gardener of the 
Gloire de Dijon or the Marechal Neil.' '* — Bib. Illustrator. 



No Respect of Persons. — That God is no respecter of persons, and 
therefore His Church must also be no respecter of persons, is a truth 
that everywhere needs reinforcement. " No respect of persons" should 
be written over the church doors, and in the hearts and on the hands 
of all Christians, so that foreigners, the stranger, the Indian, our col- 
ored brother, the poor, the laborer, shall see it and feel that among 
Christians as with God, there is no respect of persons. Mr. Spurgeon 
says that often a guinea will not speak to a crown, or a crown to a shil- 
ling, nor a shilling to a sixpence, nor a sixpence to a penny. Much 
less a shilling to a franc, a franc to a lira, or a lira to a mark. 

Library. — BushnelFs Sermons, " Outside Saints." 



X: 3 6- 4 8 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



239 



Even Cornelius a Christian. — " No individual 



need ever be in despair because the drift of life about { A. ». 40. 
him is toward evil and the multitudes are swept on by J c C ^ S ^rsion 
the current toward ruin. Fear God and work right- of 
eousness, and you shall be acceptable to God. The I Cornelius, 
evil drift of life about us is never a sufficient excuse ^ ^ 
for evil living or neglect of Christian duty on our part. We may not be 
responsible for the general tendency of life in our time or community, 
but we are responsible for the way we individually behave 
in the current. The shipmaster must sail for his port Our Action 
which ever way the currents run. The more adverse the in the 
currents, the more resolutely must he hold the helm. The Current, 
chance for a Cornelius to be acceptable to God, while in 
the brutal army of Rome, lay in the individual power to be different 
from his surroundings. It does not signify much in respect to individual 
character to be swept along in general movements, whether of religious 
fervor, of temperance enthusiasm, or of patriotic zeal. What most 
signifies both in manifesting and developing character is the individual 
movement apart from that which is general. " — W. E. C. Wright. 



41. Chosen Before (irpoK€X€ipoTovnfj.€vois% Only here in New Testa- 
ment. The simple verb x €l P OTOV€w > t° appoint, occurs, Acts xiv. 23 ; 2 
Cor. viii. 19 ; and originally means to stretch out the hand for the pur- 
pose of giving a vote. Hence to elect by show of hands and generally 
to appoint. Plato uses the word of the election of leaders of choruses. 
("Laws," 765). In later ecclesiastical usage it signified ordain, as 
bishops or deacons. 



44. Testimony of the Holy Spirit. — The Holy Spirit has given his 
testimony and endorsement of missions by his marvelous w T orks of con- 
version. Almost every great missionary denomination of Christians 
has had at least one among its missions, where the Holy Spirit has 
wrought wonders of transformation. 



47, 48. God's Kingdom Built from Rejected Stones. — "God would 
build for Himself a palace in heaven of living stones. Where did He get 
them? Did He go to the quarries of Paros ? No, ye saints ; look to the 
hole cf the pit whence ye were. hewn. So far from being stones that 
were white with purity ye were black with defilement. Goldsmiths 
make exquisite forms from precious material ; God maketh His precious 
things out of base material, and from the black pebbles of the defiling 
brooks He hath taken up stones which He hath set in the golden ring of 
His immutable love, to make them gems to sparkle on His finger forever. 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



X : 36-48 



He bath not selected the best, but apparently the worst, of men to be 
the monuments of His grace ; and when He would have a choir in 
heaven He sent Mercy to earth to find out the dumb and teach them to 
sing. 

" We are richer than we appear to be. Here are growing pear trees, 
apple trees, cherry trees, and flowers of every hue ; but I am glad that 
some seeds have been blown over the wall, and that fruit trees and 
flowers are springing up there too." — H. W. Beecher. 



The Change in Cornelius. — (1) The change in Cornelius was like 
coming from moonlight — which is yet real light, and reflected from 
the sun — into the clear light of the sun, growing brighter and brighter 
unto the perfect day. (2) Goodness in those who have never known the 
gospel is like a flower in some sunny nook in winter, — beautiful, but 
lonely, restrained, undeveloped, surrounded by cold winds. The gospel 
brings the cheer of spring and the free growth of summer. (3) The one 
sees the divinely pictured windows of the cathedral from without in 
dim outlines and faint colors ; the other stands within and beholds all 
pictures and colors transfigured by the light of heaven shining through. 



Using all the Helps we Have. — To remain satisfied at the point 
where Cornelius was, but from which he was earnestly reaching out to 
something better, is no more to be like him, than one standing still at a 
point in the racecourse is like the athlete who is passing the same point 
swiftly toward the goal. Because Cornelius had attained a large meas- 
ure of goodness without the aid of Christian knowledge or Christian 
institutions, it is a fatal mistake to imagine that we, in our circum- 
stances, can do the same. I once read a sermon by a prominent divine 
on Enoch's walking with God, in which it was argued that because 
Enoch walked with God without the Bible, therefore we could walk 
with God without the Bible. But Enoch used all he had, and the only 
way to be like him is to use all we have. Alexander conquered the 
world with swords and spears and arrows; but any general or king who 
should imagine that he can conquer Europe to-day with the same 
weapons would be fit only for an insane asvlum or the paradise of fools. 
Every earnest man uses the best means he can obtain. 



XI : 1-7 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



241 



CHAPTER XI. 



A. ». 40. 

JERUSALEM. 

Peter's 
Report of 
the Con- 
version of 
Cornelius. 



1. And the apostles and brethren that were in Jude'a heard 
that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 

2. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were 
of the circumcision contended with him, 

3. Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised and didst 
eat with them. 

4. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and >b »f« 

expounded it by order unto them, saying, 

5. I was in the city of Jop'pa praying : and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain 
vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, letdown from heaven by four corners; 
and it came even to me: 

6. Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw four- 
footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the 
air. 

7. And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter ; slay and eat. 



2. Contended with him . ... 18. Held their peace, and glorified God. 



The Mists Blow Away. — Often among the mountains the clouds 
settle down upon their sides so that there is no sign of a mountain from 
the valley. Then the winds blow, and the sun shines, and there are 
the mountains towering above us on every side. So the early Church 
did not at first perceive some of the great truths of the Gospel. By the 
vision of Peter the mists were rolled away, and it seemed as if almost 
a new world of truth had been created, 

" Blow winds of God, awake and blow 
The mists of earth away." 



Divisions of Unity. — President Cairns in speaking of the divisions 
in the Scottish church, which he hoped would soon become 
united, compared the situation to two sisters in Edinboro The Edin- 
who became so estranged that though living in the same boro Sisters, 
house they would not speak to one another. At length they 
drew a chalk line through the rooms, hall, and doors, and each one kept 
scrupulously on her own side of the line. 
16 



242 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XI : I-7 



Fears of Change. — Edgar A. Poe in one of his weird stories, 
relates how a friend lying on a lounge saw through the window a huge 
and terrible monster coming swiftly down the mountain side toward 
the house. Looking at the same place the next day he found that it 
was only a small death's head moth crawling slowly down the window 
frame. 

Library. — The Gyascutus story in Prof. M. R. Vincent's little pam- 
phlet, That Monster, the Higher Criticism. 



Our True Attitude Toward the New is illustrated by two facts that 
lately came to my knowledge : 

First. — The head of one of the largest and best equipped insane 
asylums in the world told me of patients from the city who had become 
so controlled by the nervous desire to repeat any act done, that they 
could not dress or undress themselves. As fast as they unbuttoned a 
button they buttoned it again, and so in endless repetition. It took one 
school boy five hours to dress himself, and a man had lain abed three 
weeks from inability to dress himself. I asked the doctor how he 
began the cure. He replied that he set him to looking for the next 
button before he had time to undo his work on the first one. Keep 
looking and moving to the next button. Every one needs to get out of 
the ruts of forever doing the same thing. In religion, in science, in 
everything let him haste to the next button. 

Second. — But this is only one side of true progress. I asked a 
gentleman connected with the Tiffanys' who make the most perfect 
stained glass work in this country, why they did not make windows 
with such wonderfully rich colors as in some of the old cathedrals, for 
instance the Cologne cathedral. He replied that only age could pro- 
duce those rich tones. Many of those windows had an inch thick of 
dust upon them. The authorities of one English cathedral washed 
away the accumulated dust, and it spoiled the windows. So the 
dust of ages, the power of time, of antiquity, gives richness and color 
to some things which no newness can imitate. 



Criticism from Misunderstandings. — Sharp differences of opinion 
often arise from a misunderstanding of the reasons, or an inability to 
feel their power. 

" A criticism which might well be digested by other writers than 



XI: 8-i8 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



243 



* 

8. But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean 
hath at any time entered into my mouth. 

9. But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God 
hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 

10. And this was done three times: and all were drawn up 
again into heaven. 

11. And, behold, immediately, there were three men already ^* »J« 

come unto the house where I was, sent from Cesarea unto me. 

12. And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six 
brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house: 

13. And he shewed us bow he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and 
said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; 

14. Who shall tell these words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. 

15. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the 
beginning. 

16. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed 
baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 

17. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who 
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God? 

18. When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, 
saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. 



Southey, for whom it was designed, was once made by a Methodist 

minister. When Southey published his ' Life of Wesley ' 

there were many people, and not Methodists alone, who Southey's 

felt that he had greatly misconceived many things relating Life of 

to the celebrated Methodist leader, and his belief and Wesley. 

teachings. Strong opinions were expressed about the book, 

but best of all was that of a Methodist clergyman. ' Sir, thou hast 

nothing to draw with and the well is deep.'" — Youth's Companion. 



Criticism from a False View of Facts. —I have just received a 
very polite letter denying the correctness of a fact quoted in my Select 
Notes for 1896, to the effect that the coat of a British soldier seen 
through a red glass appeared white. A class of young men tried the 
experiment, and it was not true. The only reason was that they did 
not try it according to the conditions. I went to a manufacturer of 
stained glass, and found that when looking through the ruby-red glass, 
ordinary red objects still appeared red. But when we looked at the 
lighter scarlet, the royal red of England, the color of the soldier's coat, 
then it did appear white, as had been stated. 

Reference. —See under XXI :20-23. 



A. D. 40. 

JERUSALEM. 

Peter's 
Report of 
the Con- 
version of 
Cornelius. 



This discussion, even though it threatened to divide the church, was 
yet a helpful discipline to the church. It was almost as much of a 



244 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XI: 19 



19. H Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose 
about Stephen traveled as far as Pheni'e, and Cy'prus, and Antioch, preaching 
the word to none but unto the Jews only. 



blessing to the Jews to burst the old bonds, and broaden out into the 
glorious liberty" of the children of God, as it was for the Gentiles to be 
received. 



" Heaven is not reached by a single bound, 
But we build the ladder by which we rise 
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, 
And we mount its summit round by round. 

We rise by things that are under feet; 

By what we have mastered of good and gain; 

By the pride deposed and the passion slain; 
And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet." 



The Development of the Church.— The church, at first like a single 
shoot, growing larger for seven years, then for three years putting 
forth branches, now became like a great banyan tree, the branches also 
taking root and making a new tree. 



19. Scattered Abroad. — Siao-irape'vTcs, from Sid, thoroughly, and 
throughout, <rir€Cpa>, to scatter seed, to sow, "derived from the quick, jerky 
motion of the hand." 



19. Scattered Abroad. — "Blow on the candle, and you extinguish 
the flame; blow on the fire in the grate, and you increase it. The reason 
is in the hold the fire has upon the combustible substance. If the hold 
is slight, blowing will put it out; if deep, will intensify it. Christ came 
to send fire on the earth: the fire ate its way down to the very depths 
of the disciples' spirits." — J. C. Jones. 



19. Antioch was at this time the third largest city in the world and 
one of the most beautiful and one of the very worst. One street was a 
broad avenue four miles long, having four parallel rows of 
columns, forming a broad road with the middle open to the Antioch. 
sky and on either side a narrow covered way or portico. 
There were at least later water works and street lamps. Four or five 
miles distant was the famous grove of Daphne, with a circumference of 
ten miles, filled with all that was beautiful and attractive. Here was 
held a perpetual carnival of vice. It was known all over the world for 
its luxurious festival and unbridled debauchery. 



XI: 20, 21 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



245 



20. And some of them were men of Cy'prus and Cyre'ue, 
which, when they were come to An'tioch, spake unto the 
Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 

21. And the hand of the Lord was with them; and a great 
number believed, and turned unto the Lord. 



A. D.40, 41. 
ANTIOCH. 
Founding 

of the 
Church at 
Antioch. 



Library. — Lew Wallace's Ben Hur, Bk. 4, ch. 1, 2, 5, 12, and Bk. 5, 
eh. 12, and Gibbon's Decline and Fall, ch. 23. 



Legend of Basle. — You have read the legend of Basle, the good 
monk, who was sent to hell ; but no fire could burn him and no evil 
spirit could torment him, because he carried heaven with him. This 
story hints at the secret of moral safety amid all temptations and 
exposures. 



Christians here were like the three men in Nebuchadnezzar's fiery 
furnace, safe from the fire because the Son of God was with them. 



The Two Missionary Charts. — There is a very effective missionary 
chart of the different religions of the world in colors, by means of 
squares, each one of which represents a million of inhabitants. The 
heathen are put in black, the Mohammedans or Jews in light colors, 
and the Christian nations in white. It is a very depressing chart, at 
first view, unless we put beside it one that represents the world a century 
ago. When I first saw it, I said to myself there is one thing more 
needed to make it correct. All that mass of blackness should have 
scattered over it burning stars, centers of light, growing, kindling, and 
shooting rays of light all through the darkness. 

Dr. Pierson's map in his new Acts of the Apostles tells the truth by its 
golden stars where the missionary stations are. 



Church in Evil World. — "As the coral islands of the Pacific rise 
and bask in the light of heaven, flowery and fertile, while their base is 
surrounded by the barren, salt, angry waves of an unfathomable ocean, 
so the group of Christians that clustered together as a church in 
Antioch, were rich in all the graces of the spirit, although they had 
sprung from a dreary heathenism, and were surrounded by it still." 
— Arnot. 

20. Grecians, 'EMtivio-tcLs. Hellenists, Greek Jews, but the better 
reading is "EXX/qvas, Greeks. 



246 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XI : 22- 24 



22. 1[ Then tidings of these things came nnto the ears of the church which was in 
Jerusalem: and they sent forth Biir'nabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. 

23. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted 
them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. 

24. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith : and much 
people was added unto the Lord. 



The Acorn and the Oak. — "As the acorn bears within it not only the 
full-grown oak, but shade for many a hero, food for countless animals, 
and at last the gallant ship itself, so does every good deed contain within 
itself endless possibilities of good which will grow and multiply." 
— 0. Kingsley. 



The Growth of the Church at Antioch. — " When your correspond- 
ent quoted : ' Give the devil an inch, and he'll take an ell,' I wondered 
if you knew those wonderful lines of the Persian poet Hafiz:' 

' Who comes to God an inch, through doubtings dim, 
In blazing light God will advance a mile to him.' 

Quoted in Alger's Gems of the Orient as from Rabia." 

So God blessed this church in Antioch, struggling feebly at first, but 
growing to be one of the most useful churches in the world, — the first 
to send foreign missionaries, the first to send aid to the mother church 
at Jerusalem. 



23. Exhorted irapcKdXci, to call to one's side, for aid or comfort, hence 
to speak to by way of entreaty, comfort, instruction The word for 
comforter in John xiv. is derived from this word. 



Purpose Orpo0€<m). ' ' Originally, placing in public ; setting before. 
Hence of the shew-bread, the loaves set forth before the Lord (see on 
Mark ii. 26). Something set before one as an object of attainment : a 
purpose.'" — M. R. Vincent. Our word purpose, from the Latin pro- 
positum, has the same meaning. 

22. The New Era. — " You may open your cage and let your sing- 
ing-bird fly out and he may wander away, and the song he sang you 
may never hear in your home again, but when God opens the door of 
heaven and lets some singing truth, angel- winged, fly down to earth, it 
is never lost ; but one catches the strain here, and another there, till it 
becomes choral."— H. W. Beecher. 



XI . 22-24 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



247 



Walls With Gates — Walls Broken Down. — -I- <%• 

" The Jews on their return from captivity, attached 
to their temple a court of the Gentiles. Such a thought 
never entered the mind of Solomon or of his architects. 
Henceforth they displayed a missionary spirit, and 
compassed sea and land to make one proselyte. True, 
they did not pull down the wall ; but they did put a 
few gates in it through which the Gentiles might be admitted. But 
mark — they were not received as Gentiles, but as Gentiles circumcised. 
But now the wall is being pulled down, and Greeks may become 
Christians without first becoming Jews. The Jewish church was like 
the chrysalis containing life in an undeveloped state ; The Christian 
church is the chrysalis emerging in the winged butterfly. In Judaism 
the Word of the Lord was standing ; in Christianity it is flying. And I 
saw an angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel." — 
J. Cynddylan Jones. 



Divisions Obliterated by High Tide. — When the tide is low, the 
shores of the bay show all manner of divisions, rocks covered with sea- 
weed, the bottom full of mud and ooze, and abounding in every kind 
of refuse. But when the high tide comes in, the deep water flows pure and 
smooth over all, obliterating divisions and removing all that is vile. 
So w T hen religion in the church is low, division lines grow more 
abundant and more sharply defined, and the evil of human nature 
comes to the surface. But when the religious experience is deep and 
full, all the church is one, division lines are removed, and evils are 
sunk far out of sight. 



True Method of Progress. — " Two ships were aground at London 
Bridge. The proprietor of one sent for a hundred horses and pulled it 
to pieces. The proprietor of the other waited for the tide and with 
sails and rudder directed it as they pleased. There is a zeal which is 
worse than wasted effort." — Simeon. 



23. Had Seen the Grace op God. — What a man sees in any place 
depends largely on what he is looking for, and what are his tastes. A man 
visits a city for business purposes, and he sees the stores, the railroads, the 
ships, but may know nothing about the spiritual and reform work 
going on in the city. I do not think that one in a thousand who go 
to our great cities could name one-quarter of the agencies for helping 
its poor and unfortunate, saving its vicious and Christianizing the popu- 
lation. Some men look at the sun chiefly to study its spots. Some 
are always looking for faults and defects ; and they find them. Barna- 



A. D. 42. 

ANTIOCH. 
Barnabas 
sent 
from 
Jerusalem. 



248 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XI : 22-24 



bas could have found, and doubtless did find, many imperfections and 
weaknesses in the Antioch disciples, but what he chiefly 
saw and dwelt upon was the grace of God shown in Each 
them, and the marvelous change it had wrought in their One Sees 
character. In studying a battle, we can see chiefly the hero- What He 
ism and courage, or merely the pain and death. We can Looks for. 
see the martyr's flames or his faith or piety. Mrs. 
Leavitt, who has been traveling around the world in the interest of 
temperance, told me that many travelers did not know what mission- 
aries were doing in foreign lands, because they did not look in the 
right place at the right time ; for one can easily look at a school house 
after school hours, and easily declare from their own observation that 
while there were school houses enough, no one went to school. 



How Invisible Things are Seen. — " Barnabas saw the grace of God 
as other invisible things are seen, by its effects. We cannot see the 
wind ; but when the trees rustle and their leaves wave, we know that 
it is because the wind blows. We cannot see gravitation ; but when 
the earth rotates, producing day and night, and revolves, producing 
the seasons of the year, with their characteristic varieties and attrac- 
tive beauties, we see by these effects that gra vitation is at work. We 
cannot see the tree grow ; but we know from its foliage and its fruit 
that it must have grown." — John Stokoe. 



Seeing Good in Contrast With Evil. — "He saw the evil as well as 
the good. The good shone more brightly in his eyes by contrast with 
conterminous evil ; and the evil seemed blacker because the good was 
beaming so near. This is a feature that adheres to all the delight of 
Christians in the present world. Such is our condition here that we 
cannot open our eyes to look on purity without perceiving impurity 
lying near. It is even by the dark shade of contiguous wickedness 
that we are able to trace the features of holiness among men. As a 
painter fills his background with darkness, deeper and deeper accord- 
ing as he desires to project his central figure more vividly into view, 
so, by the necessary conditions of our present state, the beauty of the 
new creature implanted by Divine grace in true disciples is brought 
more brightly out by the surrounding of sin in which it is set. The 
sadness that sat silently on the heart of Barnabas while he was making 
his inspection did not destroy, but rather enhanced his joy. The heav- 
ing sea of wickedness that stretched on all sides as far as the eye could 
reach, made more lovely the green islands that were projected above 
its surface and seemed to lie upon its breast. " — Arnot. 



XI : 22-24 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



249 



23. Cleave unto the Lord. — " At the ocean-side, 
where cliffs jut out to the waves, certain molluscs 
may be found sticking tightly to the rocks. Each 
mollusc clings so tenaciously that the concussion of 
the waves cannot smite it off. The secret 
Shell Fish of its hold is that the mollusc is empty. 
Cleaving If it were filled either with flesh or with 
to the air, it would drop off immediately. This beautifully illus- 
Rock. trates the condition of every sincere, humble, conscientious 
believer who has been emptied of self, and therefore clings, 
by a Divine law of adhesion, closely to the Rock of Ages. If he should 
become puffed with pride and self-conceit, or gorged with fleshly 
indulgence, he would yield to the waves of temptation and be swept 
away." — Bib. Illustrator. 



Magnetic Attraction. — " In primitive Christianity everything was 
made to depend on personal union to a personal Saviour. There is 
mystery here. Yes, and I have seen a huge piece of iron hanging on 
another, not welded or glued, but clinging with such a tenacity that it 
could bear my weight and its own. A wire charged with an electric 
current was in contact with its mass, and hence the adhesion. What 
that wire is to it, love is to us. We love Him, for He first loved us. 
A stream of life from the Lord, in contact with a human spirit, keeps 
that spirit cleaving to the Lord so firmly that no power in earth or 
hell can wrench the two asunder." — W. Arnot. 



The Latin Christian Motto. — Teneo et Teneor, " I hold on and I 
am held." 



Library. — Abide in Me; a capital book by Andrew Murray, an 
English missionary in South Africa. (Randolph & Co., N. Y.) 



24. For He was A Good Man. — " A good man is like a good clock, 
works regularly, keeps both hands employed, strikes at the right time, 
gives every moment its true value, has an open face and always speaks 
the truth." 



The Outshining of Goodness.— " The man of royal soul cannot hide 
himself. In his modesty he may draw a veil over his face, but the 
veil itself will show the transfiguration. Never does the world appear 
more foolish than when it attempts to extinguish a burning and shin- 
ing light. In the Indian legend a wicked sorceress seeks with her 
snares to keep the sun. moon, and stars in three separate chests, and 



A. O. 42. 

ANTIOCH. 
Barnabas 
sent 
from 
Jerusalem. 



250 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XI : 25, 26 



25. Then departed Biir'nabas to Tar'sus, for to seek Saul: 

26. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to 
pass, that a whole year thej assembled themselves with the church, and taught 
much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in An'tioch. 



those who try to suppress Christianity have succeeded no better. 
Eminent goodness will out ; neither men nor devils can keep it under 
a bushel." — Wilkinson. 



Perfume op Goodness. — "A man ought to carry himself in the world 
as an orange tree would if it could walk up and down the garden — 
swinging perfume from every little censer it holds up to the air. 

" Among the Alps, when the day is done and darkness is creeping over 
fold and hamlet below, Mount Rosa and Mount Blanc rise up above the 
darkness, catching from the retreating sun something of his light exqui- 
site beyond all words, or pencil, or paint, glowing like the gate of 
heaven. And so goodness rises in the Christian above all clouds of sel- 
fishness, neglect, and blame, glowing with a radiance that is divine." — 
Beecher. 



Star or Dust Speck — Known by Its Deeds. — " You look up to the 
heavens at night and see the stars shining. Perhaps you know that 
men are now able to photograph the stars by their own light, even 
those so distant that the human eye cannot see them even through the 
strongest telescope — not only can they photograph them but by the 
spectroscope tell what they are made of. How wonderful. But of 
course in the photograph the star shows only like a little dot of light, 
and if a speck of dust gets on the glass that makes another dot. How 
shall they tell the difference — which is dust and which is star? They 
do it in this way. If you have watched the stars a long time you have 
seen that they move across the heavens — or seem to move — of course 
it is the earth's motion that changes our position. So when the astrono- 
mers photograph stars they have to keep the telescope moving by clock 
work just as fast, to keep it pointed at the star. When the photograph 
is taken the telescope stops, and of course the star moves on, and so 
makes a little tiny trail of light from the dot on the photograph. The 
dust doesn't move, so makes no trail. 

' ' I think those of us who want to be stars must be known in the 
same way, by the light that trails from our lives." — President Seth Low. 



25. To Seek (ava^nTTjo-cu). From dvd, up, up to, and ^tc'w, to seek ; 
hence, to run through with the eyes any series or succession of men or 
things, to seek out, to hunt up. 



A. ». 43, 44. 

Paul 
at Antiocli, 



XI: 25, 26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 25 1 

25. Barnabas to Seek Saul. — ' ' Barnabas is by 
interpretation the ' son of consolation ' or exhortation. 
From this word we can partly judge of the character 
of his preaching ; his exhortation brimming over with 
comfort, full of cheer and encouragement. His preach- ^ ^ 
ing was fine and stimulating rather than deep and convincing. He had 
the good sense to know this, and therefore hastened to Tarsus to fetch 
Saul. Barnabas would be worthy of grateful remembrance 
were it only for this one act. Barnabas exhorted the people ; Consolation 
but when Saul came to his help, the ' exhorting ' became Plus 
'teaching;' deeper though tfulness characterized the min- Instruction, 
istry. The people were before growing in grace — they are 
now growing in knowledge. Man has both a heart and a head. And 
every true minister, if he cannot accomplish the twofold work himself, 
will, like Barnabas, seek another to help him. The dahlia is a gorgeous 
flower, but it has no fragrance. The perfection of a flower consists in 
exquisiteness of color combined with deliciousness of fragrance. And 
the perfection of Christians consists in the combination of grace and 
knowledge.'' — J. Gynddylan Jones, D. D. 



Two by Two. 
" So when two work together, each for each 
Is quick to plan, and can the other teach ; 
But when alone one seeks the best to know, 
His skill is weaker and his thoughts are slow." 



All Kinds of Minds in the Church. — There are all kinds of minds 
in the church, and all kinds of needs. There are many sides to each 
individual man. These need a great variety in teaching and training. 
In nothing did Barnabas show his real goodness, his unselfish nature, the 
broadness of his piety, his good sense and wisdom, more than in sending 
for one so entirely different from himself as was Saul. One great dan- 
ger of the modern church is that men, strong in certain directions, are 
sometimes not large enough and broad enough to welcome those of a 
different temperament. The classical music looks down on what is 
called "Moody and Sankey Music,'' which brings so many near to 
heaven; and the latter feels that " classical " is cold. The theological 
professor sneers at Evangelists, and the Evangelist does not always see 
the good in the professor's way of studying the Bible. 



The Four Persian Teachers. — Xenophon tells us that at one time 
the Persian princes had for their teachers the four best men in the king- 



252 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XI : 25, 26 



dora. (1) The wisest man, to teach wisdom ; (2) the bravest, to teach 
courage ; (3) the most just, to train the moral nature ; (4) the most tem- 
perate, to teach self-control. 

So each individual and the church needs manifold training, of feel- 
ings, of conscience, of imagination, of reason, of memory. The poet, 
the historian, the logician, the exhorter, are all needed. 



Library. — An illustration can be drawn from Dickens' ingenious 
story in his Household Words of the Skitzlanders, who were 
born with every limb perfect, but at a certain age all Skitz- 
unused portions of the body fell away, so that some persons landers, 
were only "ahead without a heart;" others "a pair of 
eyes and a bundle of nerves ; " or the bump of acquisitiveness was all 
that remained. Very few persons were perfect in body in Skitzland. 



26. Disciples Were Called Christians. — Let us keep Christ's name, 
Disciples, learners, and the new name Christian, to show that a Christian 
is always a learner. 



Christians. — "Are we Christians? Then we ought to think and 
speak and act, in everything, as becomes Christians, and to do nothing 
to the reproach of that worthy name by which we are called; that that 
may not be said to as, which Alexander said to a soldier of his own 
name, that was noted for a coward; ' Either change thy name or mend 
thy manners.' " — Henry. 



" The Medals given to Indians at the treaty of Red River were sup- 
posed to be of silver, but were really of baser metal. Said an Indian 
chief, striking his in such a way that the deceit was apparent, — ' I 
think it would disgrace the Queen, my Mother, to wear her image on 
so base a metal as this. ' " — C. H. Spurgeon. 



"Little Christs. — Someone has said, with how much reason I 
know not, that 'Christians' means 'little Christs,' as the Shrines of 
Diana were called " Dianeans," little Dianas. And as the Ephesians 
esteemed it a great invention when small shrines of Diana were made 
in iuiitation of the great statue that presided over the city, so that they 
could have them in their homes and wherever they went ; so Christians 
everywhere represented Christ, in their lives and dealings. Men saw 
some image of Christ's character in the character and lives of Christians. 



XI: 25, 26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



253 



A. D. 43,44. 

Paul 
at Antioeh. 



Christo — Centric. — The name Christian shows 
that Christ was the centre of all. He was all and in 
all. Earnest Christianity has always been Christo- 
centric. All doctrines, all influences, all history even, 
circle around the cross of Christ, as astronomers used 
to say that all the stars and constellations are circling around the star 
Alcyone in the Pleiades. 



The Composition of " Christian."— " To the formatian of this word 
each of the three leading nations of earth made a contribution. The 
thought is Jewish, denoting ' The Anointed One ; ' the root, Xpio-r, is 
Greek ; the termination, tavoi, (ianoi) is Latin. Thus, in the providence 
of God, the same three nations whose differing dialects proclaimed 
above the Cross, 'Jesus, the King of the Jews,' now unite in forming 
a word which for all time shall be applied to those who follow Christ." 
— Monday Club Sermons. 

Christian is the family name, the names of the different denomina- 
tions are the individual names. 



Klein Brothers. — A German named Klein came over to this coun- 
try, but translated his name into Small. Later, another brother came 
over, and called Himself Little. Thus they became parted with no clue 
to each other's identity. Finally, a third brother came, retaining his 
name of Klein. A letter once came to Mr. Klein at a time when the 
others were in the post-office, and each of the brothers claimed it, and 
thus they discovered that they were brothers, under different names of 
the same meaning. So the differe 
translations of the name Christian. 



Is One Working Next Door to a Jeweler's Shop a Jeweler ? — 
A young convert arose in the prayer-meeting and said, "A few days 
since the foreman of my room came to me and said, * Henry, are you a 
Christian !' I replied, ' Yes, sir, I am. At least I am trying to be. I 
look to the Lord for strength and grace ! ' And then I could think of 
nothing better to say, so I thought I would ask him a question; so I 
said, ' Mr. Smith, are you a Christian? ' He replied, ' I go to church ! ' 
Then I didn't know what to say. But a few days before this convex 
sation a boy of about twelve years old came into the shop and asked 
for work. When the foreman told him he had none for him, he told a 
pitiful story of the sickness of his father and mother. The foreman 
then asked him if he had ever worked in a jeweler's shop, and he 
replied, ' No, sir, but I have worked next door to one ! ' So, when I 
could not think what to say to my foreman, this came into my mind, 
and I said, ' Mr. Smith, do you remember the little boy who came in 
here the other day and said he once worked next door to a jeweler's 



254 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XI : 27-30 



27. If And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antidch. 

28. And there stood up one of them named Agabus. and signified by the Spirit 
that there should be great dearth throughout all the world : which came to pass in 
the days of Claudius Cesar. 

29. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send 
relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea : 

30. Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. 



shop?' 'Yes.' ' Do you think that working next to a jeweler's shop 
made him a jeweler ? ' ' No.' 'Do you think that going to church makes 
you a Christian ? "' — The Christian Age. 

29. According to His Ability (Kaflws TjviropetTo ns). Lit., according 
as any one of them was prospered. The verb is from cviropos, easy to 
pass or travel through ; and the idea of prosperity is therefore conveyed 
under the figure of an easy and favorable journey. The same idea 
appears in our farewell; fare meaning originally to travel. Hence to 
bid one farewell is to wish him a prosperous journey. Compare God- 
speed. So the idea here might be rendered, as each one fared well. — 
M. R. Vincent, in Word Studies 

28, 29. Famine — Relief. — When the pump has lost its power of 
suction, we pour water into it, and that enables it to bring 
up more. When the hand is open for the outlet of benevo- The 
lence, it is open also for the reception of blessing; but if we Pump 
close it in selfishness, it will let nothing in any more than Set 
out. Thus stinginess outwits itself. This is true spiritually a-Going. 
as well as in temporal and pecuniary matters. One has 
beautifully said: 

" Is thy cruse of comfort failing? Rise and share it with another. 

And through all the years of famine it shall serve thee and thy brother. 

Love divine will fill thy storehouse, or thy handful still renew ; 

Scanty fare for one, will often make a royal feast for two." 

— Wm. M. Taylor. 

The Wind Flower. — ''It is said that 'there is a flower in South 
America which is visible only when the wind blows. The shrub belongs 
to the cactus family, and the stem is covered with warty-looking lumps 
in calm weather. These lumps, however, need but a slight breeze to 
make them unfold large flowers of a creamy white, which close and 
appear as dead when the wind subsides.' Fit emblem this is of many 
Christians who in ordinary times exhibit but little of active grace, and 
are supposed to be unsympathetic, and indifferent, but when reverses 
and affliction come to themselves or others, when there is a call for 
what they can do or give, open out into the loveliness of charity, and 
minister joy to all about them by their grace. " — Unknown. 



XII: I, 2 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



255 



CHAPTER XII. 



1. Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth Ms 
hands to vex certain of the church. 

2. And he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. 



1. That Time, T6v Kcupov, from Kdpa or Kap-q, the 

head, or summit. Hence, the time when things are 
brought to a crisis or head ; the juncture, the decisive 
epoch waited for. 

To Vex KaKwo-ai, to do evil (kcikos) or injury to, to oppress, to mal- 
treat. Vex is used in the old English sense of torment, oppress. Note 
the change in its meaning. 



Distinguish between this James, the son of Zebedee, and James, "the 
brother of our Lord," the pastor of the church at Jerusalem, the author 
of the Epistle of James. 



Distinguish this Herod {Agrippa) , from his grandfather, Herod the 
Great, who murdered the innocents of Bethlehem at the birth of Christ 
(died B. C. 4), and from his uncle, Herod Antipas, (B. C. 4 — A. D. 39), 
who murdered John the Baptist. Even learned men do not always do 
this. Dr. Leonard W. Bacon says, " I know a volume of sermons by a 
preacher of no small celebrity, in which the dying terrors of Herod 
(Agrippa) when ' eaten of worms ' in the book of Acts are traced to his 
remorse of conscience for the murder of John the Baptist in the 
Gospels." 



Light from History. — Paley uses the expression Herod the king 
here as a proof of the accuracy and reliability of the Acts. For Herod 
was king but a very short time, and " there was no portion of time for 
thirty years before, or ever afterwards, in which there was a king at 
Jerusalem, a person exercising that authority in Judea, or to whom that 
title could be applied, except the last three years of Herod's life, within 
which period the transaction here recorded took place." — Paley. 

Legend of St. James. — " History gives no further particulars of his 
martyrdom, but Clement of Alexandria, writing a century and a half 
later, gives a tradition, which is very probably true, namely, that his 



A. D. 44. 

April. 
The Passover. 
JERUSALEM. 
Martyrdom 
of James. 



256 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XII : I, 2 



accuser, or the officer who brought him before the tribunal, was so 
affected by hearing his bold confession and defense that he avowed 
himself a Christian on the spot, craved pardon from the apostle for the 
share he had had in his condemnation, and received from him the kiss 
of pardon and peace, after which he was straightway beheaded along 
with him.'' See Eusebius' Eccl. Hist., 2:9. 



Reference. — See under vii. 60, illustrations concerning the martyr- 
dom of Stephen. 



" That life is long which answers life's great end." — Young. 

" We live in deeds, not years ; in thoughts, not breaths ; 

In feelings, not in figures on a dial. He most lives 

Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." — Bailey. 



" He liveth long who liveth well ; 
All other life is short and vain ; 
He liveth longest who can tell 

Of living most for heavenly gain." 



" Shakespeare beats triumphal marches, not for successful persons 
alone, but also for the conquered and the slain." — Dowden. 



Candles in Compressed Air. — " His life has been a rapidly burning 
lamp which has given all the greater light in a dark place. I can illus- 
trate by the burning of candles in compressed air, in submerged caissons. 
When the railroad bridge was being built across the Mississippi River at 
St. Louis a man told me he went down in one of these caissons eighty 
feet below the surface of the water. The bad air was driven back by 
compressed air in the caisson. This dark place was lighted with burn- 
ing candles. These candles burned very rapidly and gave a correspond- 
ing light. They could not be blown out by a human breath. So it has 
been with the life of this man. It has burned fast under the pressure of 
a great love." — Rev. Geo. Candee. 

Reference. — See under iv. 29, the weathercock with " Love " on it. 



" Sunset and Evening Star 

And one clear call for me ! 
And may there be no moaning of the bar 

When I put out to sea. 



XII: I, 2 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 257 



But such a tide as moving seems asleep, 

Too full for sound and foam ; 
When that which drew from out the 
boundless deep 

Turns again home. 

Twilight and Evening Bell, 

And after that the dark ! 
And may there be no sadness of farewell 

When I embark. 

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place 

The flood may bear me far, 
I hope to see my Pilot face to face 

When I have crossed the bar." — Tennyson. 



Library. — The Dream of Socrates, in Krummacher's Parables, p. 241. 



* 

A. D. 44. 

A pril. 
The Passover. 
JERUSALEM. 
Martyrdom 
of James. 



" And yet, dear heart ! remembering thee, 
Am 1 not richer than of old? 
Safe in thy immortality, 
What change can reach the wealth I hold ? 
What chance can mar the pearl and gold 
Thy love hath left in trust with me ? " — Whittier. 



" Not upon us or ours the death angel 

Hath evil wrought. 
The funeral anthem is a glad evangel 

The good die not. 

God calls our loved ones, but we lose not wholly 

What He has given ; 
They live on earth in thoughts and deed, as truly 

As in heaven. " — Longfellow. 



The Power of the Glorified Dead. — " In these after days, when 
the poignancy of the grief is past, when the light has begun to come 
again, and when the grace of God has re-appeared, full of love, the heart 
begins to find comfort in precious memories of those who are gone. 
Death sweeps away the faults, the flaws, the imperfections, which were 
so apparent in our friends when they were close beside us, and brings 
out in them all the beautiful things only half understood, half per- 
ceived, when they were with us. Forgotten kindnesses of years past 
are remembered when friends have gone. A thousand fragments of 
17 



258 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XII : 3, 4 



3. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter 
also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 

4. And when he had apprehended him, he put Mm in prison, and delivered him 
to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him 
forth to the people. 



beauty in character and conduct — hidden, unnoticed, before — memory 
now gathers up. The result is a transfigured life, in which all that was 
good, true, lovely and worthy has a place. 

A middle-aged man said recently that his mother had been far more 
to him the ten years she had been in heaven than the ten years before 
her departure. A woman of above seventy said that her first baby, 
which had been with Christ for fifty years, had been a softening, 
refining, spiritualizing, upward drawing influence in her life all those 
years. There is no doubt that in thousands of cases our friends are 
more to us in heaven than ever they were while they were with us. 
The influence of glorified children on parents and homes is very 
marked. A baby in heaven means more to many fathers and 
mothers than a baby in their arms. It is a magnet to draw their hearts 
heavenward." — Henry Clay Trumbull. 



3. Proceeded. irpoo-e'GeTo, added to his other evil deeds. 



James and Peter. — " How different to the eye of sense the dealings of 
God with some of His servants, from. His dealings with others. Those 
He gloriously delivers ; these He appears to abandon to their 
foes; the three children are brought forth altogether Two 
unscathed from the fiery furnace; the Maccabean martyrs Ways of 
perish in the flames: Peter is delivered from the sword of Deliverance. 
Herod, from that sword which has just been stained with 
James' blood; one John the malice of an emperor fails to hurt, and he 
is plunged unharmed into the boiling oil ; another falls a victim to a 
wicked woman's spite, and his life is given away at a wanton dancing- 
girl's request. But shall we therefore conclude that those God delivered, 
and these he did not deliver? Should we not rather say those were 
delivered openly, and in the face of the world — these as really delivered-, 
however, their deliverance did not as manifestly appear." — Trench. 



Pleased the Jews — Proceeded Further. — There is a curious 
order of Gamaliel, president of the Sanhedrim under Agrippa, " To our 
brethren, the dispersed in Babylon, Media, Greece, and to all the rest of 
the dispersion of Israel, greeting. We announce to you, that since the 



XII : 5, 6 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 259 



5. Peter therefore was kept in prison : but prayer was made 
without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 

6. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same 
night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two 
chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. 



lambs of this year are feeble, and the doves are not ^, ^, 

full-fledged, spring being late, it pleases me and my 

colleagues to lengthen the year by thirty days." — Geikie. They might 

lengthen the year, but they could not shorten Peter's life. 



Serpent Gnawing a File. — Dr. John Hall, in one of his sermons, 
compared the attacks of infidelity upon Christianity to a serpent gnaw- 
ing at a file. As he kept on gnawing, he was greatly encouraged by 
the sight of the growing pile of chips, till, feeling pain and seeing blood, 
he found that he had been wearing his own teeth away against the file, 
but the file was unharmed. 



The Reward of Martyrdom:. — Herod had been in prison loaded 
with iron chains, on account of his sympathy with his friend Caligula. 
But when Caligula became emperor, he released Herod, and gave him 
a gold chain weighing as much as the iron one he had worn for his sake- 
This chain, to please the Jews, Herod hung up in the Temple at Jeru- 
salem " to teach that the great might fall, but God can raise them from 
the dusty He might well have thought on this chain, when he was 
putting Peter in chains and in prison. 



5. Without ceasing, €kt€vtjs, from 4k, from, away, and tcCvw, to 
stretch, signifying intense strain, on the rack, which suggests an intense 
strain, even to torture. 



6. Prison. <j>v\aKT|v, a guarded place. But prison in ver. 7 is oIk^ixciti, 
a cell, a dwelling place in the prison, from oIkos, a house. 



5. Peter Kept in Prison. — There is a great mystery about the suffer- 
ings of God's people. But freely borne for love's sake, they are seen to 
be far different from the sufferings of the wicked. They are a disci- 
pline; they are a means of victory; they are steps heavenward; they are 
proofs of the reality of virtue; they are tests of Christian character, 
known and read of all men. 

Jeremiah was in a dungeon for doing his duty and trying to save his 
country from ruin. Within two years King Zedekiah was in a dungeon. 



A. D. 44. 

April. 
Passover. 
JERUSALEM. 
Imprison- 
ment of 
Peter. 



26o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XII; 5, 6 



blind and hopeless, because he betrayed his country, and had not the 
character nor the courage to obey the Word of God. The two prisons, 
equally horrible, were as different as the mists of north-east drizzle 
from the mists glorified by the setting sun. A criminal's 
prison is depressing. It puts a Cain-mark on the life; the The Cross 
soul is bound in chains. From Paul's prison in Rome there a Burden 
arose as from Jacob's pillow of stones at Bethel, a golden or a Glory, 
stairway to heaven, with messenger angels ascending and 
descending it. Simon of Cyrene's cross was a burden he was com- 
pelled to bear. Paul gloried in the cross of Christ. 



Library. — "The cross a burden or a glory," in Bp. Huntingdon's 
sermons. Christian Believing and Living. 



Faithfulness to Duty — When the cruel Bonner told John Ardly 
of the pain connected with burning, and how hard it must be to endure 
it, with a view of leading the martyr to recant, he replied: " If I had as 
many lives as I have hairs on my head, I would lose them all in the fire 
before I would lose Christ." 



Prayer was Made Without Ceasing. - "I have a ' fellow-worker 
unto the kingdom of God,' who on one occasion long ago, when I was 
abroad, sent me a letter with a picture of a triangle in it, — a large 
triangle traced across the sheet. At the high top of it he 
wrote the words, ' the mercy-seat ' ; between the two Prayer a 
diverging side-lines he drew for the base a rough, wavy Bond of 
mark, which he meant for the ocean ; then he wrote his Union, 
initials at one angle and mine at the other. That was his 
quaint way of saying that he could go up and away around to me by 
the throne of God in his prayers. He felt that I knew that the shortest 
path to those we love is around via heaven, where our faithful High 
Priest sits to receive our petitions." — G. S. Robinson, D. D. 

Reference. — See on 16 : 13. 



Prayer at the Empty Table. — There is in Florence a picture of a 
Dominican supper, in which St. Dominic, with the other monks, is ask- 
ing the blessing, and praying at a table set with dishes, but with no 
food. While he is praying the angels with bright- colored wings bring 
them an abundance of food. 



6. Peter Was Sleeping Bound With Two Chains. 
"Peter meanwhile was sleeping, and his sleep brought as much glory 
to God as his wakefulness although he had sung psalms till the rafters 



XII : 5, 6 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



rang again. He slept in Gethsemane through weak- 
ness of the flesh : he sleeps here through the strength 
of his faith." — W. Arnot, D. D. 



Content in Prison. — " That lovely bird of paradise, 
Christian content, can sit and sing in a cage of 
affliction and confinement, or fly at liberty through 
the vast expanse of heaven with almost equal satis- 
faction : while ' Even so, Father ; for so it seemeth good in Thy sight,' 
is the chief note in its celestial song." — Swain. 



Peaceful in the Storm. — " In the Pitti palace at Florence are two 
pictures hung side by side, one by an English artist, the other by a 
Florentine. One is a picture of a stormy sea, with its 
mountain waves, and black clouds, and fierce lightning Two Pic- 
flashing across, and revealing in the waters a human face tures in the 
racked with the agony of helpless despair. The other is a Pitti Palace, 
like stormy sea, with as fierce lightning, and as threatening 
waves and clouds ; but in the midst of the waves is a rock, against 
which the waves dash in vain, and in the cleft of a rock is some green 
herbage and flowers and a dove sitting on her nest, — all safe, because 
defended by the cleft rock." — Waldo Messaros. 



The Bowl of Prjeneste. — Around an ancient and beautiful silver 
bowl, from Preeneste in Southern Italy, now in the Kircher collection, 
is engraved a series of pictures. First, a king in his chariot leaving 
his castle. Next, the king shooting a deer upon a hill, in a cave of 
which cowers a savage. Then the king flaying the deer hung up in a 
tree, and the savage behind him about to fling a stone at him. Then 
above is the last picture repeated in smaller compass, but between the 
stone and the king is the common bird-like symbol of God. The king 
is protected by the divine wings. 



" As some tall cliff that lifts its awful form, 
Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm ; 
Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread, 
Eternal sunshine settles on its head." — Goldsmith. 



Reference. — Paul and Silas in prison, 16 : 23-25. 

Compare Christian and Hopeful in the dungeon of Giant Despair. 
After some days of useless suffering, Hopeful suddenly exclaimed, 
" Why, I have all the time had in my bosom a key called Promise, 
which is able to open any door in Doubting Castle ! '• 



A. D. 44. 

April. 
Passover 

JERUSALEM. 
Imprison- 
ment of 
Peter. 



262 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XII : 7-IO 



7. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the 
prison : and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. 
And his chains fell off from his hands. 

8. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals: and so 
he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. 

9. And he went out, and followed him ; and wist not that it was true which was 
done by the angel ; but thought he saw a vision. 

10. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron 
gate that leadeth unto the city ; which opened to them of his own accord ; and 
they went out and passed on through one street ; and forthwith the angel departed 
from him. 



10. Ward, ^vXaKijv, the same word as prison in ver. 6, either the guard, 
or the place which guarded and was guarded. 



Pictures. — Liberation of St. Peter, by Murillo ; Peter delivered from 
prison by Raphael, Vatican ; and by Lippi, Florence. 

7. The Angel of the Lord Came Upon Him. — " Does the angel of 
the Lord encamp around my dwelling ? Steven is stoned ; James is 
beheaded. The Christian's foot is dashed against a stone. The scarlet 
plague has come nigh my dwelling, and carried off the household pet. 
Where is the angel? Satan enters the heart of a man. and the life of an 
innocent school-girl is at the mercy of a murderer. Where 
was her guardian angel ? A flash from the black cloud, Guardian 
and a good man breathes no more. Where was his angel? Angels. 
Reflect a moment. What is the ordinary course of our 
life? Is it full of daily accidents? Is it not rather crowded with 
daily mercies, unseen and unnumbered ? Is not calamity occasional, 
not habitual? Then there is something higher than life, dearer than 
wealth. Your spiritual perfection is a nobler thing than these. It is 
that the angels are commissioned to aid in securing." — Prof. Churchill. 

May not Milton's conjecture have some truth in it — 

" Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth 
Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep ? " 

Keble's Song- picture of Peter Sleeping in Prison. — In the beauti- 
ful fancy of Keble, the wearied apostle, sleeping, as he thought, his last 
sleep, and dreaming of the glorious witness to his Lord he was to 
witness when the day dawned, would naturally mistake the angel's 
touch and voice for the summons to execution. At the eternal gates 
he waits in his blissful trance — 



XII : 1 1 — 1 5 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 263 



11. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I 
know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath 
delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from, all the expecta- 
tion of the people of the Jews. 

12. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the 
house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; 
where many were gathered together praying. 

13. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel 
came to hearksn, named Rho'da. 

14. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but 
ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. 

15. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it 
was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. 



A. ». 44. 

April. 
Passover. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter 
Delivered 
from 
Prison. 



' • The unimpressive notes to hear 

Of angel song, and angel motion, 
Rising and falling on his ear 
Like waves in joy's unbounded ocean. 

" His dream is changed — the tyrant's voice 
Calls to that last of glorious deeds ; 
But as he rises to rejoice, 

Not Herod, but an angel leads." 

— Christian Year, "St. Peter's Day." 



Library.— Whittier's Poems. "The Angel of St. Mark," gives a 
beautiful story of angelic deliverance. 

" O, weary ones ; ye may not see 

Your helpers in their downward flight ; 
Nor hear the sound of silver wings 
Slow beating through the hush of night ! 

" There are who, like the seer of old 
Can see the helpers God has sent, 
And how life's rugged mountain side 
Is white with many an angel tent." 



Compare. — Elisha and his servant with opened eyes seeing the moun- 
tain round about filled with unseen horses and chariots of fire; 2 Kings 
6:17. And Christ's declaration that twelve legions of angels were at 
hand to help him when needed; Mat. 26:53. 



Reference. — See under v. 19, a former deliverance of Peter from 
prison. 



264 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XII : I I-I5 



Pictures. — St. Peter delivered from prison, Raphael, Vatican. St. 
Peter and the angel, Lippi, Florence. St. Peter delivered from prison 
(miniature), Hans Meniling, Venice. 



12. Considered. — o-wiSwv, to see together, to take the whole situation 
in at a glance. He saw all the elements of the ease and decided what 
to do. 

" This force of the verb is illustrated by Xenophon (Anabasis 1, 5, 
8). 'For one who directed his attention to it (i. e., the numerous evi- 
dences of power furnished by a great empire) might see (o-wtSeiv, in a 
comprehensive glance) that the king was powerful.' So Plato (Laws, 
904), speaking of God, says, ' When He saw that our actions had life, 
etc., going on to enumerate various details,' He seeing all this (ravra 
irdvTa <rwi8wv). Compare also Acts xiv. 6." — M. R. Vincent, Word 
Studies. 



15. " Constantly Affirmed (Suo-xvpitero). Better, confidently affirmed; 
constant is used in its older sense of consistent. The verb contains two 
ideas: strong assertion (l<r\v<s), and holding to the assertion through all 
contradiction (81&;); hence, she strongly and consistently asserted." — M. 
R. Vincent. 

11. Now I Know. 

' ' The seraph's wing 
Outspread in parting flight. With snowy trace 
Awhile it hovered, then like radiant star 
From its orbit loosed, went soaring up, 
High o'er the arch of night. Then Peter knew." 

— Lydia Sigoumey. 

Library. — Mrs. Sigourney's Poems on Peter's deliverance. Poem by 
I. D. Burns, quoted by Arnot in his Church in the House. 



Prayer and the Laws of Nature. — The answer to the prayer by the 
angel shows one way in which God can answer prayer without in any 
way interfering with the laws of nature. Men exclaim, 

" When the loose mountain trembles from on high, 
Shall gravitation cease if you go by? 
Or some old temple, nodding to its fall, 
For Chartres' head reserve the hanging wall ? " 
But they forget that God can guide His people away from the loose 
mountains or overhanging wall. So Professor Tyndall has said that to 
answer a prayer for rain would require as great a change in the laws of 
nature as it would to roll the St. Lawrence up the falls of Niagara. But 



XII: 1 1 — 1 5 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



265 



there is no need of changing the laws of nature to 
answer a prayer for rain. All that is necessary is to 
use the laws, not break them. If I need a shower on 
my lawn, I turn the water on to the hose and produce 
a shower. Cannot God do on a large scale what any 
of us can do on a small scale ? A child is caught in the 
machinery of a great factory ; to reverse that machin- 
ery by its own laws would be a great cost and labor. 
But the owner can turn off a band and rescue the 
child in a moment. Cannot God do as much with the machinery of 
the universe ? 

Reference.— See under iv. 31, Longfellow's " Legend of Prague." 



A. D. 44. 

April. 
Passover. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter 
Delivered 
from 
Prison. 



12. Whose Surname. — "I am sure there is as much to be learned 
from knowing that the ' surname,' as distinct from the Christian name, 
is the name over and above, not the ' sire '-name, or name received from 
the father, but ' sur '-name (super nomen) — that, while there never was 
a time when every baptized man had not a Christian name, inasmuch 
as personality before God was recognized, yet the surname, the name 
expressing a man's relation, not to the kingdom of God, but to 
the worldly society in which he lives, is only of a much 
later growth, an addition to the other, as the word itself Surnames, 
declares. And what a lesson at once in the upgrowth of 
human society, and in the contrast between it and the heavenly society, 
might be appended to this explanation. There was a period when only 
a few had surnames, only a few, that is, had any significance or 
importance in the order of things temporal ; while the Christian name 
from the first was common to every man." — Arbp. Trench. 

Gathered Together Praying. — - Mr. Moody and Gen. O. O. Howard 
with many others, were passengers on the steamer Spree, in the autumn 
of 1892, when the great shaft broke during a storm "and the whole com- 
pany were in momentary danger of sinking. There was a great prayer 
meeting on board, led by Mr. Moody, and while they were praying, help 
came. Gen. Howard thus speaks of the relation of prayer to their rescue : 

"Did the people of the Spree receive help miraculously 
from the heavenly Father? In these things, that is in Prayer 
extreme dangers, it has been my good fortune to have had Meeting on 
abundant experience. But I cannot tell where the natural Board the 
and ordinary helps of Providence end or where the super- Steamship 
natural begins. The finite will never be allowed to know this Spree, 
dividing line. I only know this, at this time, on this ship, as 
at other times in my life, the demonstration is as clear as daylight that the 



266 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XII : l6, 17 



16. But Peter continued knocking : and when they had opened the door, and saw 
him, they were astonished. 

17. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared 
unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew 
these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into 
another place. 



Lord is a hearer and is an answerer of the prayers of His children. He 
evidently loves so to arrange His blessings, as He does our daily bread, so 
as to make them come as much as possible through common-sense ways 
and human instrumentality. There was one blessing on the wrecked 
steamer that was beyond human procuring. It was the almost univer- 
sal lifting up of human souls into the very sunlight of God's presence." — 
Gen. O. O. Howard. 

Library. — Longfellow's Poems, " Sandalphon," the angel of prayer ; 
Trench's Poems, "The Suppliant," where the answer to the discour- 
aged suppliant is shown to be sure from the very fact of praying. 
" Thy very prayer to thee was given, 
Itself a messenger from heaven." 



Judson's Experiences as to Prayer. — " I never was deeply inter- 
ested in any object, I never prayed sincerely and earnestly for anything, 
but it came, at some time, no matter at how distant a day ; somehow, in 
some shape, probably the last I should have devised, it came." — 
Adoniram Judson. 

" In spite of many broken dreams, 
This have I truly learned to say : 
The prayers I thought unanswered once 
Were answered in God's own best way." 



16. They Were Astonished. — This does not indicate, as some have 
inferred, that these praying disciples " had small expectation of an 
answer." It is not " a striking instance of how slow of heart to believe 
are even the most devout." On the contrary, where could we look for 
the true prayer of faith, if not in this week of unceasing prayer by the 
whole church ? They were astonished, not at the fact of an answer, but 
at the strange way in which it came. 



" Strive ; yet I do not promise 

The prize you dream of to-day, 
Will not fade when you think to grasp it, 
And melt in your hand away ; 



XII : l6, 17 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



267 



But another and holier treasure, 
You would now, perchance, disdain, 

Will come when your toil is over, 
And pay you for all your pain. 

"Wait ; yet I do not tell you 
The hour you long for now 
Will not come with its radiance van- 
ished, 

And a shadow upon its brow ; 
Yet far through the misty future, 

With a crown of starry light, 
An hour of joy you know not 

Is winging her silent flight. 

"Pray ; though the gift you ask for 

May never comfort your fears, 
May never repay your pleading, 

Yet pray, and with hopeful tears ; 
An answer, not that you long for, 

But diviner will come one day, 
Your eyes are too dim to see it, 

Yet strive, and wait, and pray." 



The Best Answer to Prayer. — As many times the exact thing we 
ask for, in the form we ask for it, would be the worst thing for us, and 
what we really do not want ; therefore, in such cases God gives us the 
spirit of our prayer, what we really would have asked for had we known 
all things, as He does. A child asks for a white powder he sees, think- 
ing it sugar, when in reality it is poison. The parent refuses the 
poison, and gives real sugar instead. He, not in a literal form, but a 
thousand times more really, gives what the child asks for. So God does 
with us, and so at last we shall see that every true prayer is really 
answered in God's best way. 



Astonished at God's Answers. — There are a hundred ways in 
which God may answer our prayer, and we often have reason to be 
astonished, not that God has answered our prayer, but at His choice of 
the kind of answer, so wonderfully better than the way we had 
planned to have the answer come. We sometimes miss seeing the 
answer because we put upon the promises of God limitations of time and 
method which He did not put there, and then, when these fancies van- 
ish and our false expectations fail, we think God's promises have failed. 
We mistook the mist on its brow for the mountain ; and when the mist 
took wing, we thought the mountain had gone. 



* * 

A. ». 44. 

April. 
Passover. 
JERUSALEM. 
Peter 
Delivered 
from 
Prison. 

* * 



268 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XII : 18-23 



18. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what 
was become of Peter. 

19. And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the 
keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down 
from Jude'a to Cesare'a, and there abode. 

20. \ And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidou : but they 
came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain 
their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's 
country. 

21. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, 
and made an oration unto them. 

22. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a 
man. 

23. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God 
the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. 



I heard Principal Dawson of Canada tell this story of his childhood. 
The church which he attended when a boy had among its stained glass 
windows one representing Moses carrying the two tables of stone down 
from Mount Sinai. As he grew older, he noticed that the artist had 
made the stones very large, weighing at least half a ton 
apiece. He quickly saw that it was impossible for Moses to Pictured 
carry a ton of stone in his arms. Tlierefore, with boyish Windows 
logic, he disbelieved the Bible account of Moses and the that Misin- 
two tables of stone, as impossible and absurd ; never think- terpreted 
ing that it was the pictured window and not the Bible that the Bible, 
told this absurd story ; and he should have disbelieved, not 
the Bible, but the pictures, and the artist who distorted and misin- 
terpreted the Bible and put there what the Bible never put there. 

So men make imaginary pictures of God's method of answering our 
prayers, and when the answer does not come in that way, they think it is 
not coming at all, or are astonished at the way it does come. 



21. Made an Oration, l8Tnm.Y6p€i, from S^os, the people, and d-yopcviw, 

to harangue the popular assembly in the market place (d^opd). He was 
a demagogue, and harangued the populace. 

21. In Royal Apparel. — " Now when Agrippa had reigned three 
years over all Judea, he came to the city Caesarea, formerly called 
Strato's Tower ; and there he exhibited shows in honor of Caesar, upon 
his being informed that there was a certain festival celebrated on 
account of his safety. At which festival a great multitude was gotten 
together of the principal persons, and such as were of dignity through 
his province. On the second day of which shows he put on a garment 



XII: 1 8-23 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



269 



A. ». 44. 

Spring. 
CESEREA. 
©oath of 
Herod. 



made wholly of silver, and of a contexture truly 
wonderful, and came into the theatre early in the 
morning ; at which time the silver of his garment, 
being illuminated, by the fresh reflection of the sun's 
rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner, 
and was so resplendent as to spread a terror over 
those that looked intently upon him ; and presently 
his flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another 
(though not for his good) that he was a god ; and they added, ' Be thou 
merciful to us ; for though we have hitherto reverenced 
thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as 
superior to mortal nature.' Upon this the king did neither 
rebuke them nor reject their impious flattery. But as 
he presently afterwards looked up he saw an owl, sitting 
on a certain rope over his head (see Antiquities, Bk. 
xviii, ch. 6, for the reason), and immediately understood 
that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, as it 
been the messenger of good tidings to him, and fell into the deepest 
sorrow. A severe pain also arose in his stomach, and began in a most 
violent manner. He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, ' I, 
whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life ; 
while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to 
me ; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be 
hurried away by death. But I am bound to accept of what Providence 
allots, as it pleases God ; for we have by no means lived ill, but in a 
splendid and happy manner.' When he said this his pain became vio- 
lent, and he was carried into the palace." — Josephus, Antiquities, 
Bk. xix, ch. 8. 



Herod's 
Glittering 
Kobes, 

and 
Death. 

had one 



Christianity and Its Persecutors. — Peter outlived Herod a great 
many years. There is something remarkable about the fate of perse- 
cutors. 

"The inventor of the guillotine perished by his own engine, and the 
same is true of the maker of the first bowie-knife." — Zion's Herald. 

" It is very well known to the reader of history that during the first 
three centuries after Christ, the Christians suffered no less than ten 
fierce and bloody persecutions, sanctioned and carried on by the impe- 
rial authority of the Roman Empire. 

" Christianity survived as we know, but what became of its perse- 
cutors? Of the personal fate of the subordinates, civil and military, 
we know little or nothing. But of the emperors who sanctioned and 
urged on these persecutions, history has made a faithful record. 
Tiberius and the other three Neros, as his immediate successors were 
called, all suffered violent deaths. Galba, after a reign of only seven 



270 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XII : 24-25 



24. 1 But the word of God grew aud multiplied. 

25. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled 
their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark. 



months, was slain by Otho, and Otho himself soon after committed 
suicide, having been overcome by Vitellius. After a very short reign 
Vitellius was dragged through the city of Rome by the mob, tormented 
and thrown into the Tiber. Domitian, one of the most cruel of the 
persecutors, was murdered in his chamber, his wife consenting to the 
deed. Commodus was murdered by Narcissus. Pertinax and Julianus 
were both murdered. Severus died of chagrin at an attempt made on 
his life by his son. Geta was killed by his brother Bassianus, and Bas- 
sianus in turn was murdered by Macrinus. Heliogabalus, a monster 
in cruelty, was killed by his own people, drawn through the city, and 
thrown into the Tiber. Maximinius, having slain the emperor to obtain 
his crown, was himself afterwards slain by his own soldiers. Maximus, 
Balbinus and Gordian, all three, died a violent death. The wicked 
Decius was drowned, and one son was slain in battle at the same time. 
Gallus and Voluscianus, his sons, emperors after Decius, were both 
slain by a conspiracy, while the conspirator who succeeded them was 
slain three months afterwards. Gallienus was killed by Aurelian. 
Aurelian, a bloody persecutor, was slain by his secretary. Tacitus 
reigned six months and was slain at Pontus. Florinus reigned two 
months and was murdered at Tarsus. The miserable end of Galerius 
and Maximinus was almost too horrible to be thought of. Maxentius 
was drowned in the Tiber, and Licenius was killed by his soldiers. 

"Thus passed away the proud emperors who, while swaying a sceptre 
over more people and controlling more wealth and power than was 
held by any other of earth's potentates, dared to lift their impious 
hands against the chosen of God." — St. Louis Christian Advocate. 

23. Eaten of Worms. — "Of Pheretima, queen of Cyrene, distinguished 
for her cruelties, Herodotus says : ' Nor did Pheretima herself end her 
days happily. For on her return to Egypt from Libya, 
directly after taking vengeance on the people of Barca, she Pheretima. 
was overtaken by a most horrid death. Her body swarmed 
with worms, which ate her flesh while she was still alive' (iv., 205). 

"Compare the account of the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, the great 
persecutor of the Jews. ' So that the worms rose up out 
of the body of this wicked man, and while he lived in sor- Antiochus 
row and pain, his flesh fell away, and the filthiness of his Epiphanes. 
smell was noisome to all his army' (2 Mace. ix. 9). Sylla, 
the Roman dictator, is also said to have suffered from a similar disease." 
— Prof. M. R. Vincent, in Word Studies. 



XIII: I 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



271 



CHAPTER XIII 



1. Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain A I> 45 

prophets and teachers ; as Barnabas, and Sim'eon that was ANTIOCH 

called Ni'ger, and Lucius, of Cyre'ne, and Man'aen, which Paul and 

had been brought up with Herod the te'triirch, and Saul. Barnabas 
0 Ordained 
■ as Mission- 

aries* 

1. Prophets, -n-po^Tai. The word is from <j>Tjp.£, to 
speak, and irpo, before, in front of. The meaning of 
the preposition may have reference to time, viz., before, beforehand; or 
to place, viz. , in front of, and so, publicly ; and this latter meaning, in 
turn, easily runs into that of in behalf of ; for. The prophet is, there- 
fore, primarily, one who speaks standing before another, and thus 
forming a medium between him and the hearer. This sense runs 
naturally into that of instead of. Hence it is the technical term for 
the interpreter of a divine message. 



At Antioch. — Reference. — See description under xi. : 19. 



Simeon, Called Niger, i. e. Black. The name had no more to do with 
his race or color, than now you can tell the color or race of Mr. Black, 
or Mr. Brown, or Mr. White from his name. 



Manaen. Brought Up With Herod Antipas, the murderer of John 
the Baptist. A good man, a prophet or teacher grows up side by side, 
in the same circumstances, with a wicked, unscrupulous libertine, a 
murderer. 



Family Influences. — " Family influences and associations are potent, 
but they are not all-powerful. The training that showed itself in Cain, 
didn't ruin Abel ; and the training that appeared so well in Abel, didn't 
save Cain. And even if Herod and Manaen had the same bringing up, 
no one could have suspected it from the later career of the two men. 
There is comfort in this thought ; and there is a warning in it also. Let 
no lad be discouraged in his purpose of well-doing, even if he has a 
brother as bad as Cain or Herod. And let no lad count himself free 
from danger of evil, merely because he has a brother as good as Abel or 
Manaen." — Henry Clay Trumbull. 



272 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XIII: 1 



" So from the heights of will 

Life's parting stream descends, 
And, as a moment turns the slender rill, 
Each widening torrent bends. 

" From the same cradle side, 

From the same mother's knee, 
One to long darkness and the frozen tide, 
One to the peaceful sea." 



Variety of Character in the Leaders. — These leaders were very 
varied in characteristics, race, training, and experiences. But this 
variety gave them power. It takes many colors to make up the white 
rays of the sun. It takes many kinds of food to build up the healthiest 
and strongest bodies. It takes many tones of harmonies to make an 
anthem. It takes a great variety of instruments to form an orchestra. 

Compare Paul's description in Cor. 12. 



Two Companion Pictures. 



The Church at Jerusalem, A. D. 
30. Acts 2:43-47. 
Filled with the Spirit. 
Devout : daily worship. 
Wondrous works, miracles. 
Harmony, brotherly love. 
Generous giving. 
Great joy and gladness. 
Many conversions. 
Under instruction. 
Apostles. 



TJie Church at Antioch, A. D. 
45. 

Guided by the Spirit. 
Instructed by teachers. 
Inspired by prophets. 
Earnest religious services. 
Fasting and praying. 
Generous giving. 
Large increase of numbers. 
Open to all classes. 
Full of missionary spirit. 



Gold Bricks Changed Into Coins. — In the United States treasury 
I was shown the vault where lay in gold bricks 380 million dollars' 
worth of gold. To outward appearance these masses of gold were dull 
and rough, and seemed to have no more value than so much brass. But 
we went into other rooms where the gold was melted, purified, coined, 
and then sent in shining pieces all over the country to carry on its 
business. Such was Antioch, when its golden piety and graces were 
coined into prophets and teachers and missionaries, and sent throughout 
the world. 



XIII : 2, 3 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 273 



2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost 
said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I 
have called them. 

3. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their 
hands on them, they sent them away. 



2. Ministered (Xerrovp'yovvTttv). Derived from the v 
unused word \citos (Xaos, the people), public, belonging to the State ; and 
tpya, to work. Hence, — serving the State at one's own expense, and 
thence the free service of God as in worship, teaching, giving, or any 
other way. Our word liturgy is derived from it. . 



2. As They Ministered to the Lord and Fasted. — In Ccesar's 
Column, a book of the Looking Backward type, one of the inventions of 
the year A. D. 2,000 is the bringing of pure air from two miles high, 
down into the dwellings, so as always to have the pure Fresh Air 
breath of heaven in their homes. The Youth's Companion from 
building in Boston has the air from high above its roof Heaven, 
forced all over the building. The cabins and lower working rooms of 
a steamship at sea are constructed on the same principle. So these Anti- 
och Christians, breathing the fresh air from heaven, received new spirit- 
ual life and health, and entered upon great works that w r ould otherwise 
have been impossible to them. 



Praying and Working. — During the ravages of the great plague in 
London there was called a meeting for fasting and prayer that the 
plague might be removed. The Earl of Shaftsbury said that he would 
fast with them, and pray with them, but the first duty was for all to 
rise up and cleanse the city. That really was the result of the fasting 
and the praying. The fasting and praying of the Antioch church was 
the channel through which the Holy Spirit led them to the glorious for- 
eign missionary work. 

" The goal of yesterday is but the starting place of to-day." 

There is a Hindoo fable concerning Mr. Wise-before-the-Time. 

Mr. Wise-at-the-Time. 
Mr. Wise-after- the-Time. 
The church at Antioch could not have entered upon this missionary 
work before this time. They were Wise-at-the-Time. 



A. D. 45. 

ANTIOCH. 
Paul and 
Barnabas 
Ordained 
as Mission- 

sa riot. 



The Change of Nature and the Change oe Work. —There is a 
caterpillar nature that crawls on the earth, and there is a butterfly 
18 



274 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XIII: 2, 3 



nature that soars in the free air. There is a worldly nature, but it 
should be transformed into the heavenly. 



2. Separate Me Barnabas and Saul. — One of the first privileges 
and duties of a strong church is to be a centre of missionary influence. 
We are told to 

" Measure our writings by Hesiod's staff, 
Which teaches that all has less value than half." 

We should learn the same lesson in our churches. The large church 
that sends many of its best men and women to evangelize others, and 
supports them, will be stronger by the gift. 



God's Guidance in Modern Movements. — The great movements, the 
reformation, the missionary impulse of the century, the Sunday school, 
the International lesson system, the Young People's Society of Chris- 
tian Endeavor, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and many 
others, are as really inspired by the Holy Spirit as this first foreign 
missionary movement. 



The Call. — Dr. Nathan Bangs dreamed that John Wesley called him 
to the invincible ranks of the Gospel ministry. He seemed to see that 
great leader pass with swift velocity in a chariot of light, throwing out 
to him a shining sword, and crying, " Take this and conquer." 



Ideas the Real Capital of a Country. — Some one said during the 
civil war that " Not Richmond but ideas" was the capital of the Con- 
federacy. It is true of every country, the ruling ideas are its real 
capital. It is true of the church. It was the ruling idea at Antioch 
that gave the church there its real power. 



The " Go " of the Gospel. — " There is a mighty go in the Gospel as 
well as come. It is come, go. Go, preach and heal ; go, home to thy 
friends ; go, into the highways ; go, into all the world. Many Christians 
do not obey, many churches have no blessing, because they do not go." 
— B. F. Jacobs. 

An Indian learned a long poem, every verse of which was 
" Go on, go on, go on, go on 

Go on, go on, go on ; 
Go on, go on, go on, go on 
Go on, go on, go on." 
Library. — For the work whereunto 1 have called them. Bushnell's 
Sermons for the New Life, " Every man's life a plan of God." 



XIII : 2, 3 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



275 



Divine Plan of our Lives. — " Every human soul ►!* ^ 

has a complete and perfect plan, cherished for it in 
the heart of God — a divine biography marked out, 
which it enters into life to live. This life, rightly 
unfolded will be a complete and beautiful whole, an 
experience led on by God, and unfolded by His secret 
nurture, as the trees and the flowers by the secret 
nurture of the world ; a drama cast into the mold of a perfect art, with no 
part wanting; a divine study for the man himself and for others; a study 
that shall forever unfold, in wondrous beauty, the love and faithfulness 
of God; great in its conception, great in the Divine skill by which it is 
shaped ; above all, great in the momentous and glorious issues it pre- 
pares." — Horace Bushnell, D. D. 



Individual Election, so often overstated or wrongly stated, means 
at bottom simply this : That God has planned out the best possible of 
lives for\is ; that while we have perfectly free wills, yet as to the other 
side of our lives, our nature, our circumstances, the things 
that come to us and are as much beyond our control as the Election, 
march of the stars through the sky, are controlled not by 
chance, but by God ; not by demons, not by men, but by God himself. 
It is God's own hand drawing for us, as Raphael painted his twelve car- 
toons as a pattern for the tapestry weavers, the picture pattern for our 
lives, the most radiant in beauty, the most full of glory, of which our 
natures are capable. 



The Two Ears of the Reformer. — Prof. Curtis in a lecture on Pres. 
Lincoln said that men had two ears, and often a different anthem was 
sung in each. The reformer has one ear opened toward God and he 
hears by that alone and goes forward. The politician has only one ear open, 
and that to man, and he marches to that anthem alone. The statesman 
has one ear open to God, and the other to man, and when he hears the 
same anthem in both ears he goes forward. Paul and Barnabas heard 
the anthem of the call of God and the anthem of the needs of man, and 
both sang the same marching song. 



Whitefield said that he " forgot all else about men before him but 
their immortality and their misery." 

Enthusiasm of Missions. — It is a little over 80 years since the direct- 
ors of the East India Company placed on record "The sending of 
Christian missionaries into our eastern possessions is the maddest, most 
expensive, most unwarranted project that was ever proposed by a 



A.». 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Asia 
Minor. 



276 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII 14, 5 



4. H So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleu'cia ; and 
from thence they sailed to Cy'prus. 

5. And when they were at Sal'amis, they preached the word of God in the syn- 
agogues of the Jews : and they had also John to their minister. 



lunatic enthusiast." In contrast to that is the recent statement of the 
lieutenant-governor of Bengal. " In mj judgment, Christian mission- 
aries have done more real and lasting good to the people of India than 
all other agencies combined." — Rev. John Jones. Compare the present 
feeling toward missions, when more than 6,000 students in our country 
are already pledged to foreign missionary work, and the strange feeling 
among many a hundred years ago, when some wise father said to Carey, 
the shoemaker, who was earnest to go to the heathen, " Young man 
mind your own business. When God wishes to convert the heathen he 
will do it without your help." 

Blessing of Missions. — " There was a period in my ministry when 
most of my people were in a very desponding state of mind. The more 
I tried to comfort them, the more they complained of doubt and depres- 
sion. I knew not what to do, or what to think. About this time, our 
attention was directed to the claims of the perishing heathen in India. 
My people were aroused and interested. They set out with earnest7iess 
and zeal in the new path of Christian usefulness. They did what they 
could ; and, while thus engaged, the lamentations ceased, the sad became 
cheerful, the desponding calm. God blessed them when they tried to be 
a blessing." — Andrew Fuller. 

The Hymn.— " Is thy cruse of comfort failing." 

Missions or Death — ' ' The very soul of our religion is missionary, 
progressive, world-embracing : it would cease to exist if it ceased to be 
missionary, if it disregarded the parting words of its founder, ' Go ye, 
therefore, and teach all nations," etc. The spirit of truth is the life- 
spring of all religion; and where it exists, it must manifest itself; it 
must plead, it must persuade, it must convince and convert. There may 
be times when silence is gold, and speech silver; but there are times, 
also, when silence is death, and speech is life, — the very life of Pente- 
cost. Look at the religions in which the missionary spirit has been at 
work, and compare them with those in which any attempt to convince 
others by argument, to save souls, to bear witness to the truth, is treated 
with pity or scorn. The former are alive ; the latter are dying or dead. 
— Max Muller. 



4. Being Sent Forth, Departed (in April A. D. 45 or 47.) 



XIII: 6-9 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 277 

* * 

6. And wbeu they had gone through the isle unto Pa'phos, 
they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose 
name was Bar jesus; 

7. Which was with the deputy of the country, Ser'glus 
Pau'lus, a prudent man; who called for Bar'nabas and Saul, 
and desired to hear the word of God. 

8. But El'ymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood 
them, seeking to tnrn away the deputy from the faith. 

Then Saul (who also is called Paul), filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on 
him. 



5. Minister, vTr^pe'Tirv, frouiWo, under, and Ipe'r^s, a rower, hence an 
under rower, as distinguished from a soldier in a galley ; a galley-slave: 
thence any under officer, an attendant. Prof. Vincent calls attention to 
how this word for galley-slave rose under Christianity to minister, the 
noblest service of God. 



Compare Emerson's epitaph on the Minute-man's statue at the bridge 
in Concord, 

" By the rude bridge that arched the flood 
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, 
Here once the embattled farmers stood 
And fired the shot heard round the world." 



Anna Shipton's Vision. — "Anna Shipton tells us, in one of her beau- 
tiful volumes, of an hour when, weary in her work and longing for rest 
and Christ, she fell asleep and dreamed that through a sea of glass she 
was being drawn by a strong cable to a city of gold, while heavenly 
watchers waved their welcome from the battlements, and echoes of 
heavenly melody made her long to be there, But, looking back for a 
moment, at the sound of a bitter cry, she saw multitudes of men and 
women drowning around her, and throwing up their arms in wild and 
despairing cries for help. The sight so moved her that she turned her 
face upward again, and cried : 'Father, not yet ; a little longer let the 
glory wait, and send me back again to rescue and to save these perish- 
ing ones ! ' Instantly the prayer was answered. She did not cease still 
to be borne heavenward, but now it was no longer alone, but scores were 
following behind her, and they were all drawn by her ownheart- strings. 
The cords of her very heart seemed to have loosed, and have become 
cables of love, which these sinking ones grasped as they followed on, 
while at every new burden her bosom quivered with pain, and the 
water was red with her own warm blood." — The Word, the Work, the 
World, March, 1882. 



A. D. 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Cyprus. 



278 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII 16-9 



6. Sorcerer. — ^d^ov, mngian, magician, wise man, wise-ard (wizard). 
The particular kind of wise mem is defined by the subsequent description. 



9. Set His Eyes, d/revCc-as, from d intensive, very, and Ttivw, to stretch, 
expressing an intense gaze, like a taut line that will not waver from its 
direction. 



6. A False Prophet. — " The ' dishonest man ' sits retail- 
ing away heaven and salvation for pence and halfpence ; Selling His 
and seldom vends any commodity but he sells his soul with Soul, 
it, like brown paper, into the bargain." — Robert South. 



Wesley and the Man Who did not Believe in Heaven. — One time 
when John Wesley was preaching, a man in the audience cried out that 
he did not believe in any heaven. Mr. Wesley, looking him over 
intently, and seeing signs of ignorance and vice, replied, " Well, under 
the circumstances, I should not think you would." 



7. Who Called for Barnabas. — " The interview, doubtless, began as 
all interviews between strangers in the country still begin, with the 
round of questions : What is your name ? or, Who are you ? Whence 
come you ? What is your business ? The type is seen in the question of 
the Cyclops to Ulysses (Odyssey ix. 292), ' Strangers, who are ye ? 
Whence sail ye over the wet ways ? On some trading enterprise, or at 
adventure do ye rove? ' " — Prof. Ramsay, Paid the traveler, p. 72. 



9. Withstood Them, Etc. — The poet says : 



But there is one thing sadder than this, — the shipwrecking of the souls 
of others, the climbing to our own gains over the ruined souls and 
bodies of our fellow-men. 

The poet Tennyson had the following Welsh motto in encaustic tiles 
on the pavement of his entrance hall : ' ' YGwr yn Erbyn y byd " — " The 
truth against the world." 



1 < 



Far sadder sight than eye can know, 
Than proud bark lost, or seaman's woe, 
Or battle fire, or tempest cloud, 
Or preybird's shriek or ocean shroud, 



Leading 
Others 
Astray. 



The shipwreck of a soul." 



Fastened His Eyes on Him. — The power of the Holy Spirit over Paul 
may be more clearly recognized when we consider with Farrar that 



XIII: 10, II THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 279 

• * * 

10. And said, 0 full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child 

of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not 
cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 

11. And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and 
thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And im- 
mediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness ; and he went 
about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 



"Paul was no Milo, no Demosthenes, no Scipio Africanus ; he was 

physically infirm, painfully sensitive. His bodily presence 

was weak, his speech despised." But his spirit was daunt- Power of 

less. "He might have addressed his ailing body in the a Look. 

words of the great hero as he rode into the thick of the battle, 

' Aha, you tremble ! but you would tremble far more if you knew 

whither I meant to take you to-day.' Paul stood up as it were in a 

flame of fire, his soul burning with inspired indignation." — Farrar. 

Library. — Joseph Cook's Monday Lectures, "Conscience," the solar 
look? 

Reference. — See under 2:37 and 24:25, on the effects of conscience. 

Contest for a Soul. — Thus we see the power of the spirit of evil, in 
Elymas, arrayed against the power of the Holy Spirit in Saul, — both 
contending for the soul of the governor. There is a contest for all our 
souls. Satan uses bad men as tempters, our appetites and passions, our 
ambitions and desires, as means of temptation to draw us into evil. 
The Holy Spirit is using good men, and the gospel, and the power of 
Jesus Christ, God's providences and a multitude of influences to bring 
us to goodness and heaven. 

10. Mischief, paSiovp-yias, from paSios, easy, with facility, and Ip^co, to 
ivork; hence ease in doing, facility ; hence, in a bad sense, spoken of a 
man who does evil adroitly, ready to commit crime. Perhaps allied to 
the fact that wrong-doing is easy and natural to some. " Facilis des- 
census Averni." 

Picture. — Elymas struck blind . Raphael' s Cartoon, So. Kensington. 



10. Child of the Devil. — " A wretched maniac in Finland has out- 
raged public sentiment by naming in his will the devil as his heir. The 
newspapers say that the lawyers are greatly puzzled over 
this bequest. He will find few imitations in the letter of Bequeath- 
his folly ; but the world has been, and still is, full of men ing to the 
who are acting in the same spirit. They waste their time Devil, 
and estates in the service of the evil one, and when all else 



A. ». 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Cyprus. 



28o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII : 12, 13 



12. Theu the deputy, wheu he saw what was doue, believed, being astonished at 
the doctrine of the Lord. 

13. Now when Paul and his company loosed from Pa'phos, they came to Pgr'ga 
in PamphyTia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. 



has passed from their grasp, surrender to him full possession of the 
souls which have all along been obedient to his behests." — Western 
Christian Advocate. 
Library. — Goethe's Faust. 



The Anger of a Good Man. — There are times when a truly right- 
eous man must flame and burn like a volcano. Never to be on fire with 
a blazing indignation against wrong is the mark of a weak, a dull, or 
a bad man, and not of a holy, heavenly soul. A great educator once 
said that he knew plenty of boys who loved God. What he wanted was 
more of those who hated the devil. 



Candles with the Wrong Light. — ' ' Others are like a candle 
lighted from the pit. A nature furnished richly to the very brim, a 
man of knowledge, of art, of skill, of thought, with the very graces of 
the body perfect, and yet profane, impure, worldly, scattering scepti- 
cism of all good and truth about him wherever he may go. His is no 
unlighted candle, but lighted at the yellow flames that burn out of the 
dreadful brimstone of the pit." — Phillips Brooks. 



12. Astonished, iKirX-qo-o-ofievos, from Ik, out of, and ir\r\<rcr<a , to strike; 
hence, struck out of their senses, as by a sudden shock ; astounded. 



Kite Rising by Opposing Wind. — ' { We are apt to say, What a pity 
that Elymas was on the spot to interfere with the good work. As 
Christ said, when Lazarus died, ' I am glad for your sakes that I was 
not there,' so He might say in the case of Sergius Paulas, 'I am glad 
for his sake that Elymas was there with his sorceries.' For the efforts 
of the sorcerer to turn him away were overruled as the means of bring- 
ing him near. If there had not been a fierce wind blowing against this 
kite, it ivould not have been able to rise. 1 ' — Arnot. 



13. Came to Perga. — On the Alhambra, in Spain, a huge horse 
armored, was used for a weather vane, because it faced every adverse 
wind. 



XIII : 14, 15 THE A CTS OF THE APOSTLES 



281 



14. H But when they departed from Per'ga, they came to 
An'tioch in Pisid'ia, and went into the synagogue on the sab- 
bath day, and sat down. 

15. And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the 
rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and 
brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people 
say on. 



A. ». 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Antiocli in 
Pisidia. 



" To us remains nor place nor time, 
Our country is in every clime ; 
We can be calm and free from care 
On any shore, since God is there." 



John (Mark) Returned to Jerusalem. — No one knows why, but 
Paul's refusal to let him go with him another time (15 :37, 38) shows 
that it was a serious defection. Paul was then facing that list of perils 
he mentions in 2 Cor. 11 : 26, 27. But later Mark proved himself a worthy 
soldier of the cross. " A soldier who has wavered in one battle may 
live to obtain a glorious victory." 



Making Mistakes. — Some one has said, "He that makes no mis- 
takes seldom makes anything else." But a wiser still has said, "It is 
not the making of mistakes that makes a man, but it is the wise use 
of mistakes that enables a man to be made." The diamond is polished 
with its own dust. 



" Our acts our angels are, or good or ill, 
Our fatal shadows that walk by us still." 



" Saint Augustine ! well hast thou said 

That of our vices (our failures) we can frame 
A ladder, if we will but tread 

Beneath our feet each deed of shame." 

— Longfellow's Ladder of St. Augustine. 

Some one says " that the true science of blundering consists in never 
making the same mistake twice." 



The Roman maiden said that she would make her lover love her, not 
only in spite of her deformity, but because of it. The true use of mis- 
takes and misfortunes lies in the victory over them ; in turning defeats 
into helps, as in the case of the defeat at Bunker Hill. 



Library. —Keble's Christian Year, "St. Mark's Day." 



282 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII : 1 6-27 



16. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye 
that fear God, give audience. 

17. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people 
when they dwelt as strangers iu the land of Egypt, and with a high arm brought he 
them out of it. 

18. And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness. 

19. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided 
their land to them by lot. 

20. And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and 
fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. 

21. And afterward they desired a kiug: and God gave uuto them Saul the son of 
Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. 

22. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their 
king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the sow of 
Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 

23. Of this man's seed hath God, according to his promise, raised uuto Israel a 
Saviour, Jesus; 

24. When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance 
to all the people of Israel. 

25. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am ? I am 
not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not 
worthy to loose. 

26. Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among 
you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. 

27. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him 
not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have 
fulfilled them in condemning him. 



Antioch in Pisidia. — Here belongs Galatians 4:13,14 (for Antioch of 
Pisidia, was according to Prof. Ramsay in Southern Thorn in 
Galatia) and the "thorn" (ox stake) in the flesh, which the 
Prof. Ramsay thinks was an acute attack of malarial Flesh, 
fever, which often causes a headache "like a red-hot bar thrust through 
the forehead." 

" Ah, brother, have you not full oft 
Found, even as the Roman did, 
That in life's most delicious draught 
Surgit amari aliquid! " 



18. Suffered He Their Manners (4Tpoiro<|>6pT]o-€v.) From Tpoiros, 

fashion or manner, and <J>op€o>, to bear or suffer. The preferable read- 
ing, however, is €Tpo<J>o<j>6pT}o-€v ; from rpo<j>6s, a nurse ; and the figure is 
explained by, and probably was drawn from, Deut. i. 31. The Ameri- 
can revisers properly insist on the rendering, as a nursing-father bare 
he them. — M. R. Vincent, Word Studies. 



XIII : 1 6-2 7 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



283 



25. Think Ye, t>irovo€iT€, to think upon underneath ; <i> ^ 

i. e., secretly, out of sight ; hence to conjecture. 



26. To You is the Word of this Salvation Sent. 
— "I remember when Mr. Richard Weaver preached 
at Park Street Chapel, in his younger days, he came 
down from the pulpit, and ran over the pews to 
get at the people that he might speak to them individually and say- 
'you,' and 'you,' and 'you.' I am not nimble enough on my legs 
to do that, and I do not think I should try it if I were younger ; but I 
wish I could, somehow or another, come to each one of you and press 
home these glad tidings of great joy. You, my dear old friend, it means 
you ! You, young woman, over there to the right, it means you ! You, 
dear child, sitting with your grandmother, it means you ! ' Whosoever 
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' " — Spurgeon. 

27. They Knew Him Not. — Sometimes Christ is misrepresented to 
the people, both by the teaching and by the lives of his disciples, 
as a person may be misrepresented when dressed in a 

strange fantastic garb or in beggar's rags. They may pos- Not Seeing 
sibly reject the image thus presented, while they love and Christ 
obey the real Christ. These rulers would not see Christ as as He Is. 
He was because they saw Him through the distortions their 
own imaginations had placed upon Him. They saw Him through the 
colored and distorting glasses of their own prejudices. 

Nor Yet the Voices of the Ppophets. — They studied the prophets, 
as men may study the philosophy of light, and yet fail to use the sun- 
shine in their daily lives. 

The Long-lost Truth Restored. — " Not long ago there was a 
researcher of art in Italy, who, reading in some book that there was a 
portrait of Dante painted by Giotto, was led to suspect that he had found 
where it had been placed. There was an apartment used as an outhouse 
for the storage of wood, hay, and the like. He sought and 
obtained permission to examine it. Clearing out the rub- Hidden 
bish and experimenting on the whitewashed wall, he soon Portrait of 
detected signs of the long-hidden portrait. Little by little, Dante 
with loving skill, he opened up the sad, thoughtful, stern Revealed, 
face of the old Tuscan poet. Sometimes it seems to me that 
thus the very sanctuary of God has been filled with wood, hay and 
stubble, and the divine lineaments of Christ have been swept over and 
covered by human plastering, and I am seized with an invincible desire 
to draw forth from its hiding place and reveal to men the glory of God 
as it shines in the face of Jesus Christ 1 " — Henry Ward Beecher. 



A. I>. 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Antiocli in 
Pisidia. 



284 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII : 1 6-27 



Giotto's Paintings in Florence. — Many pictures by Giotto in the 
Church of Santa Croce, in Florence, were covered up with plaster by 
the Medici, because they liked the Renaissance paintings better. They 
were discovered and the plaster removed in 1863. 



Life of Christ in Verona. — In the great old Church of Verona was 
a Life of Christ in terra-cotta bas-relief, a beautiful work of the 15th 
century. It was afterwards covered with mastic, and for 100 years its 
very existence was forgotten, till in 1830 an earthquake shook off a part 
of the mastic, and the Life of Christ was discovered and restored. 



Mists Over the Valleys Blown Away. — " When I was a student 
in Amherst College I used, in autumnal days, to go up on the tower of 
the chapel in order that I might see the clearing off of those mists which 
would steal in with the darkness and cover with a silver veil the whole 
of that magnificent panorama of the valley of the Connecticut — a 
beautiful valley full of sparkling villages and undulations of land. 
"When I came very early in the morning — though never before the sun 
had come up — this vast landscape had its own new mountains. I saw 
that the mist, following the secret touch and the warmth of the coming 
sun, had lifted itself up ; and there were elevations here and openings 
there which, as compared with the shores of mist round about them, 
looked like deep seas. There were fantastic rifts and scarfs, and every- 
thing that was strange and weird, and shadows of hills as yet undis- 
persed. As I stood and looked upon that picture, and made it more 
picturesque, I was filled, and I filled it, with my own work. The sun, 
steadily rising and penetrating, and agitating, drank up the vision ; and 
in half an hour the whole thing had taken wings and faded away into 
vacuity, and there was nothing of it to be seen, but when it lifted there 
were Mount Holyoke, Mount Tom, Sugarloaf Mountain, Hadley, North- 
ampton, all the mountains and villages, and a great territory of peace- 
ful and beautiful farms. The mist had gone, to be sure, but the land- 
scape was as charming as the mist had been. So when men, looking 
back upon the beliefs of other days, see that they take wings and fly 
away, woe be to them if there is nothing under them ; but blessed are 
they who, when the mist-picture is gone, see the substantial earth lying 
sweet and beautiful underneath their sight." — H. W. Beecher. 



Mud on His Glasses. — "A near-sighted man, wearing glasses, went 
owl shooting and fired five times at the same owl without raising a 
feather, when he discovered, to his amazement, that he had wasted five 
good shells on a mud-spot on his glasses." 



XIII: 28-32 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 285 

* * 

28. And though they found no cause of death in Mm, yet 
desired they Pilate that he should be slain. 

29. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, 
they took him down from the tree, and laid Am in a sepulchre. 

30. But God raised him from the dead; 

31. And he was seen many days of them which came up with 
him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the 
people. 

32. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made 
unto the fathers, 



Fulfilled Them in Condemning Him. — God's cause is promoted 
even by those who oppose it. The wrath of man is made to praise God, 
and the means men take to crush out phases of truth which 
they ignorantly deem error, lead to the advancement of Efforts of 
those very phases of truth. The persecution of the early Opposers 
Christians aided in extending the knowledge and the power Turned 
of God in Christ. In modern times the New Testament Against 
has gained immeasurably in public confidence through Themselves, 
scholarly efforts at its overthrow, and the Old Testament 
is finding a firmer place in human belief through the work of destruc- 
tive critics. Let us beware that we also, while defending our views of 
orthodoxy, are not stoning prophets to whose memory our better- 
informed children will rightly raise monuments. — H. C. Trumbull. 



28. That He Should be Slain. — "The cross of Christ corresponds 
with that one spot lying right beneath the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, 
London, where the spectator, commanding all the grandest 
features of the edifice, is instructed to look around him if he The Focus 
would see the monument of its architect. In all the universe of St. Paul, 
this is the spot where we obtain the fullest exhibition of the 
Godhead." — Guthrie. 



Meaning of the Cross. — " The cross is the connecting link between 
earth and heaven ; extended arms stretched out to every sinner ; hands 
pointed to east and w r est, indicating the ingathering of the world of 
man to Christ's fold. It is directed to the sky, as the place of the final 
triumph of its work ; and its root fixed in the earth like a tree, from 
whose branches we gather the fruit of reconciliation." — Caughey. 

"Without the cross our religion is a heaven without a sun, an arch 
without a key-stone, a compass without a needle, a clock without springs 
or weights, a lamp without oil. It cannot comfort. It will not save 
the soul." — Ryle. 



A. D. 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Antiocli in 
Pisidia. 

, * 



286 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII : 28-32 



30. God Raised Him From the Dead. — The resurrection is as essen- 
tial to Christianity as the sun rise is to the day. 

The resurrection of Jesus is an example, a specimen, as it were, of 
immortal life after death, which proves its possibility. 

If some angel traveler from a distant star should come to this earth, 
arriving in the winter time in our northern climate, and we should 
show him the bare trees, and tell him that in a short time they would 
be covered with green leaves and crowned with fragrant and 
beautiful blossoms, he might well disbelieve so marvelous An Angel's 
a statement. When we show him piles of seeds and bulbs, First Visit 
and declare that out of them should grow the most lovely to Earth, 
flowers, how can he believe it? No miracle in the New 
Testament is so wonderful, as the unfolding of an oak from an acorn, or a 
tulip from a bulb. Ho w can we convince him? We take him to a green- 
house, and show him the fact. There are the plants and the flowers. 
A specimen proves that the process can take place over the whole world. 
Christ's resurrection is the fact, the proof, of what otherwise we could 
hope for and long for, and faintly believe. 



Edwin and Paulinus. — There is an anonymous poem concerning 
Paulinus, who preached to the heathen Britons, and was the means of 
the conversion of Northumbria. He bade King Edwin cast out his idols 
and worship the Lord, but 44 Edwin answered not a word." 

4 ' Rose then a sage old warrior, 
Was five-score winters old, 
Whose beard from chin to girdle 
Like one long snow wreath rolled. 

44 ' At Yule time, in our chamber, 
We sit in warmth and light, 
While cold and howling round us 
Lies one black land of night. 

44 4 Athwart the room a sparrow 
Darts from the open door 
Within the happy hearth-light, — 
One red flash and no more. 

44 4 We see it come from darkness, 
And into darkness go ; 
So is our life King Edwin — 
Alas that it is so ! 



XIII: 33-39 THE ACTS of the apostles 287 
^ * 

33. God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in 
that he hath raised up Jesus again ; as it is also written in the 
second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 

34. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, 
now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I 
will give you the sure mercies of David. 

35. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not 
suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 

36. For David, after he bad served his own generation by the will of God, fell on 
sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption : 

37. But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. 

38. T[ Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man 
is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. 

39. And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye 
could not be justified by the law of Moses. 



" ' But if this pale Paulinus 

Have somewhat more to tell, 
Some news of whence and whither 
And where the soul will dwell, 

" 4 If on the outer darkness 

The sun of hope may shine, 
He makes life worth the living; 
I take his God for mine.' " 



33. Hath Fulfilled, iKireirXTjpwKe, from ck , from, opening out, 
unfolding, as of something tied together or rolled up, hence utterly, 
entirely, out and out, and ir\iip6a> to make full, or complete, to fulfill. 



39. Cotjld Not be Justified by the Laws of Moses. There is 
nothing in the law alone that can make men holy. From the very 
beginning there was something of another redemptive force joined 
with it. Herbert Spencer, in his Social Statics, says, without any 
thought of confirming Paul's opinion, " Education alone never makes a 
man better. Creeds pasted on the memory, good principles learned by 
rote, lessons in right and wrong, will not eradicate vicious 
propen sites. . . . All history, both of the race and the indi- Herbert 
vidual, goes to prove that in a majority of cases precepts do Spencer 
not act at all ... But if in place of making a child under- on 
stand that this thing is right and the other wrong, you make Education, 
it feel that they are so, if you make virtue loved and vice 
loathed, if you produce a state of mind to which proper behavior is 
natural, spontaneous, instinctive, you do some good." Now this is 



A.D. 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Antiocli in 
Pisidia. 



288 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII : 33-39 



exactly what the Gospel does when it gives the new heart and fills the 
soul with the love of God. Law and penalty are not reformatory. They 
are necessary as the preparation for and condition of reformation, as 
ploughing the ground will not produce a crop, but yet is necessary if 
we would reap a harvest. Hence all reformatory prisons introduce 
other elements to work with the penalties. Dr. Abbott, usually so clear 
and appreciative, seems to me to be strangely far from the fact when 
he speaks of " the essential spirit of Puritanism, which aimed and still 
aims to set right both community and individuals by setting over 
community and individuals a law of life and conduct and requiring 
obedience to it, under penalty of conscience in the individual, of the 
rod in the family, of fine or stocks or prison in the community. " I 
refer to this because others have expressed the same view of the Puri- 
tans. On the contrary, the ''essential spirit of Puritanism," that on 
which it laid its most distinctive emphasis, was, and is, the necessity of 
a new heart or justification by faith. It believed and believes inlaw. 
It is stricter than most, but its stress is on conversion and the new 
heart, and it never dreamed of making the world better by the law 
alone. 



The poet Sill pictures the tree- top as in hopeful peace, during the 
moon-lit night, seeing from afar the approach of dawn, while the lower 
branches are stirred with a tremulous dread of their own shadows and 
moanings: 

"So Life stands, with a twilight world around; 
Faith turned serenely to the steadfast sky, 
Still answering the heart that sweeps the ground, 

Sobbing in fear, and tossing restlessly, — 
' Hush, hush ! The Dawn breaks o'er the Eastern sea, 
1 Tis but thine own dim shadow troubling thee.' " 

Sunday School Times. 



Experiences of Luther and Hyacinthe. — The law is equally a fan' 
ure in the struggles of the individual soul after true holiness. Paul's 
own experience is here expressed. Luther laid aside his ambitions and 
begged from door to door for his monastery, and climbed the steps of 
Pilate's staircase in Eome on his knees. Hyacinthe became a barefooted 
Carmelite and submitted to the humiliating privations of that austere 
sect. But none of them could reach in that way the righteousness they 
sought. They could only enter into the battle of life described in the 
first part of Rom. 8, without a glimpse of the victory at the close of the 
chapter. 

Reference. — See illustrations under iv. 12. 



XIII: 40-45 THE ACTS 0F THE apostles 289 



40. Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you, which Is 
spoken of in the prophets; 

41. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish : for I work 
a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, 
though a man declare it unto you. 

42. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, ^ ^ 

the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to 

them the next sabbath. 

43. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious 
proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas ; who, speaking to them, persuaded them 
to continue in the grace of God. 

44. H And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the 
word of God. 

45. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and 
spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blas- 
pheming. 



40. Beware, Therefore. — "The 'bewares' of the Bible are most 
important; for they are divine ' red lights,' hung out to warn men of 
dangers ahead." — Schauffler. 



41. Wonder and Perish.— The individual is the unit of society. 
Moral questions which affect him apply to organized society, which, in 
a political sense, we call a nation. 



" When nations are to perish for their sins, 
In human hearts the leprosy begins." 

— W. W. Hayes. 



Declare 4k8itwht(u, from 4k, out and out, entirely, unfolding as a roll, 
8id, throughout, and rj-yeo^ai, to lead or carry out, as a story, or narration. 
Hence to recount in full, in every part, to show it entirely. 



43. In the Grace. — ttj x*P tTl > from the same root as \aipo>, to rejoice, 
and hence primarily that which gives joy and delight, then the loving, 
kindly favor of God which is expressed tow T ard men and which pro- 
duces in them the graces, which are the source of true joy, which are 
delightful to the possessor and pleasing to the beholder. 



A. D. 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Antiocli in 
Pisidia. 



45. With Envy. — £r]\ov, from £t]\6w, to boil, to be heated, in a bad 
sense to boil with anger and bad passions. Hence envy, jealousy. 
19 



290 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII 140-45 



45. Envy. — Contradicting and blaspheming. 

"A story is told of a ship which was wrecked, and while the vessel 
was helpless among the breakers, the crew saw, to their amazement, a 
company of men on the shore who had procured a mortar 
and were firing bombshells at them. They were horrified at Firing 
the thought that men could be so barbarous and cruel as to Bombs at a 
be firing bombs at a company of helpless seamen, struggling "Wreck, 
amid the terrors of the shipwreck and the storm. 

'* But the men on the shore kept firing, until at length a bomb passed 
directly over the vessel, and, as it fell, a line which it carried dropped 
across the deck. They seized it, and drew after it a rope, which they 
made fast, and so opened a communication with the shore, and were 
all safely brought to land." So the Jewish rulers saw only attack and 
destruction in the efforts of Paul and Barnabas to save them. 



"There be some sermon-hearers that are like those fishes that live 
always in salt water and yet are always fresh." — G. Herbert. 



Envy. — " The poets imagined that Envy dwelt in a dark cave, being 
pale and lean, looking asquint, abounding with gall, never rejoicing 
but in the misfortune of others, and continually tormenting herself." — 
R. R. Doherty, Ph. D. 

Wrestling With a Statue. — "A wrestler was so envious of Thea- 
genes, the prince of wrestlers, that he could not be consoled, and after 
Theagenes died and a statue was erected over him his envious antagon- 
ist went out every night and wrestled with the statue, until one night 
he threw it and it fell on him and crushed him to death." — Talmage. 



A Boomerang. — They used abusive language, calling hard names, and 
saying false things about the apostles. They doubtless spoke of them as 
heretics, as renegade Jews, as destroyers of true religion, as keepers of 
evil company. They were certain to have some opportunity of per- 
verting the words or acts of the apostles. 

It is very noticeable that a large part of the sarcasms and epigrams 
against other people find their point in a perversion of the truth, and 
their venom is the poison of a liar. No weapon acts in the end more 
like a boomerang, injuring the one that throws it, than this of slander 
and abuse. This is doubly true on the part of any who use this weapon 
to defend the church or Christianity, for it is so utterly contrary to the 
spirit of Christ. It is holding the blade in the hand, and smiting the 
enemy with the handle. The very use of it is an unanswerable argu- 
ment against the user. Even Michael, the archangel, would not use 
such language against Satan himself (Jude 1 : 9). 



XIII: 46-48 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2gi 



46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was 
necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken 
to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves 
uuworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 

47. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set 

thee to be„a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for ^ ^ 

salvation unto the ends of the earth. 

48. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of 
the Lord : and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 



Fears, the Cause of Persecution. — They felt that the very founda- 
tions of religion were giving away under them, because their inter- 
pretations were giving way. Because the lit fie moss island they had 
built was settling down, their house on the sea weeds of the Sargasso 
Sea was floating away, they thought the whole continent of truth 
was sinking, or moving from its firm base. They thought the ceiling 
was falling, because the cobwebs were swept away. 



A. D. 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Antioch in 
Pisidia. 



46. Put (dir&)0€i(r0€.) diro, /ro??i, away, and «0€w to thrust, to repel, to 
force back; hence to drive or force away, as the storm wind drives 
a vessel from its course, to reject, to disdain. 



Judge yourselves KpiveTc, pass a judicial sentence on yourselves. 



48. Ordained, may\i.ivoi, arranged, assigned a place, either by God, 
but even then not necessarily by an arbitrary act, but expressing the 
Divine side of our life plan ; or by ourselves. Tliey placed or disposed 
themselves. 

" The passive of this verb is used as equivalent to the middle, e. g. 
20: 13, and repeatedly by Josephus, as many as had marshalled them- 
selves, placed themselves in the ranks of those who welcomed the offer 
of eternal life.''' — Cook. 

46. Luther's Picture of a Ship. — "I recollect in Martin Luther's 
life that he saw, in one of the Eomish churches, a picture of the Pope, 
and the cardinals,' and bishops, and priests, and monks, and friars, all 
on board a ship. They were all safe, every one of them. As for the 
laity, poor wretches, they were struggling in the sea, and many of 
them drowning. Only those were saved to whom the good men in the 
ship were so kind as to hand out a rope or a plank. That is not our 
Lord's teaching; His blood is shed ' for many,' and not for the few." 
— Spurgeon. 



292 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII 149-52 



49. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. 

50. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women, and the chief men 
of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them 
out of their coasts. 

51. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto 
Iconium. * 

52. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. 



The Jews felt sure that they were safe. They were not willing that 
the Gentiles should come aboard their safe vessel, unless they became 
Jews. 

Library. — The Sister's Dream of Heaven, (a tract, pub. by 
Wm. Knowles, New York), shows how people pass condemnation on 
themselves. The sister could not join in the heavenly music, because 
she had refused to learn the tune ; nor join in the dance because she 
knew not the measure. 



The Jews Thrusting Away Their Spiritual Fortune. — "I 
remember once calling on a sick man, whose rent I was paying at 
the time, when he told me that years ago a piece of land on a corner 
lot was offered to him for six hundred dollars. At the time he had 
just that sum in the bank. But he was very fond of buggy-riding, and 
he made up his mind that he had rather have his pleasure with his 
horse than buy that piece of land. At the time that I called on him 
that piece of land had just sold for five hundred thousand dollars, and 
he was a poor man, dependent on me for his rent. The Persians have 
a saying full of significance. It runs as follows : 

' A thousand years did a poor man wait 
Outside of heaven's gate; 
Then, while a moment brief he dozed, 
It opened, and — closed.' 

Thus many act still, and then, when they are left stranded, they com- 
plain against their 'bad luck,' or sometimes against God himself." — 
A. F. Schauffler, D. D. 



50. Coasts, opCwv, borders, boundaries, whether on land or sea. 



50. Expelled Them Out of Their Coasts. — But only to spread the 
Gospel further. An example is given in a late paper (1896) in a letter 
from Russia, as to the effect of the persecution, by the state church, of 
the Protestant religious people. 



XIII:49-5 2 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



293 



Persecution in Russia Multiplying Converts. — ^ 

" It may be truly said that nothing has contributed so 
much to the spread of the sectarian movement as the 
inquisitorial policy of the reign of Alexander III. The 
authorities have taken good care to put sectarians in 
places where they have never been known before. 
The cruel and foolish banishment of sectarians from 
one place to another by administrative order has only served this pur- 
pose. As soon as a prominent sectarian has gathered about him a 
number of followers he has been exiled to another place, where he has 
repeated the very same thing. In this way sectarians have arisen in 
places where no sectarian movement probably would have been heard of 
if it had not been for this aid on the part of the Government. Thus the 
exiled sectarians in this place tell the story of a certain Vasili Schele- 
stoff, who, having been rebanished to a new place, soon gained about 
200 followers." — Letter from Russia in N. Y. Independent, Jan. 1896. 

Reference — See effects of persecution, under 4: 14 ; 5: 40; vii: 3, viii: 
1-4. 



51,52. Expelled — Filled With Joy. — " We can say, 'Blessed is 
night, for it reveals to us the stars.' In the same way we 
can say, ' Blessed is sorrow, for it reveals God's comfort." The Mill 
The floods washed away home and mill, all the poor man Destroyed, a 
had in the world. But as he stood on the scene of his loss, Gold Mine 
after the water had subsided, broken-hearted and dis- Found, 
couraged, he saw something shining in the bank which the 
waters had washed bare. ' It looks like gold,' he said. It was gold. 
The flood which had beggared him made him rich. So it is oftimes in 
life." — H. C. Trumbull. 

Library. — Story of Francis Xavier's experience in Rome, given in 
Fish's Primitive Piety Revived, p. 162, and in Kip's Conflicts of 
Christianity, p. 185. 

Reference. — The story is told under ix:16. 



51. Shook Off the Dust of Their Feet. — "This shaking off the 
dust was a symbolical action. It was enjoined by the rabbis that every 
one, on passing from heathen soil into their own land, should carefully 
clear away every particle of the unhallowed earth from their sandals and 
feet, lest it should pollute the land which Jehovah had blessed. And in 
like manner every one, on entering a holy place, was to beat his sandals 
and remove the dust from his feet before he trod on consecrated soil.'' 
— Canon Tristram. 



A. D. 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Antioch in 
Pisidia. 



294 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII 149-52 



52. Joy. — " Christianity possesses the noblest words in the language; 
its literature overflows with terms expressive of the great- 
est and happiest moods which can fill the soul of man. Christian- 
Rest, joy, peace, faith, love, light — these words occur with ity's Joyous 
such persistency in hymns and prayers that an observer Words, 
might think they formed the staple of Christian experience. 
But on coming to close quarters with the actual life of most of us, how 
surely would he be disenchanted." — Prof. Henry Drummond. 

Library. — Prof. Drummond's Pax vobiscum ; two examples in Earl's 
Bringing in the Sheaves; and French's Poems, "The Monk and the Bird." 

Joy is the natural outcome of the free and healthy activities of the 
Christian life ; just as the activities of a healthy youth in play, or any 
healthy mind in congenial work, are ever a delight ; or as beauty is a result 
of the foliage and flowering of a healthy plant. 

References. —See, " with gladness," under 2:46 ; 8:8 ; and 16:25. 



Power of the Sunlight of Joy. — The dwellers in sunless caves, 
prisons, and dark parlors become colorless. Fruits growing on the 
sunny side of trees excel in beauty as well as in flavor the dingy and 
colorless specimens which grow in the shade. 

It is said that the same principle holds good in the fixing of the dyer's 
colors. 

Some one relates that years ago an English manufacturer of carmine, 
who was aware of the superiority of the French color, went to Lyons 
for the purpose of improving his process, and bargained with the most 
celebrated manufacturer in that city for the aquisition of his secret, for 
which he was to pay $5,000. He was shown all of the process, and saw 
a most beautiful color produced, but he found not the least difference 
in the French mode of fabrication and that which had been constantly 
adopted by himself. He minutely examined the water and the materials, 
which were in every respect similar to his own, and then, very much 
surprised, said : 

" I have lost both my labor and my money, for the air of England does 
not permit us to make good carmine." 

" Stay !" said the Frenchman, " don't deceive yourself ; what kind of 
weather is it now?" 

"A bright, sunny day," replied the Englishman. 

" And such are the days," said the Frenchman, " on which I make my 
color ; were I to attempt so manufacture it on a dark and cloudy day 
my results would be the same as yours. Let me advise you, my friend, 
only to make your carmine on bright sunny days." 

There is a hint here concerning the brightness and beauty which 
a human life may be made to wear by walking in the light. Walking 



XIII:49-5 3 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



295 



in darkness or in shadow, eveiy thing seems robed in »i* 

gloom, and life loses its freshness, fragrance and 
beauty, and becomes somber and shadowy, stale and 
dull, calling for stimulants, excitements and sensa- 
tionalism to relieve its monotony. But if we live and 
walk in the light of God and in the sunshine of his 
love and grace, life is full of radiant beams and 
beauteous tints, full of freshness, gladness, brightness and beauty. The 
dismal gloom which overhangs heathen lands and heathen homes con- 
trasts strangely with the sunshine and gladness which is the portion of 
the saints of God, in whose tabernacles the voice of rejoicing is heard, 
and to whom God their maker giveth songs even in the night." — H. L. 
Hastings, D. D. 



A.». 45-48. 

First 
Missionary 
Journey. 

Antioch in 
Pisidia. 



296 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIV : I-3 



CHAPTER XIV. 



1. And it came to pass in Ico'nmm, that they went both 
together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a 
great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks 
believed. 

2. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made 
their minds evil affected against the brethren. ^ *^ 

3. Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave tes- 
timony unto the word of his grace, aud granted sigus and wonders to be done by 
their hands. 



A. D. 45-48* 

First 
Missionary 

Journey. 

Iconium. 



Vs. 1, 2. Multitude Believed — Unbelieving Jews. —To some it 
is the savor of life unto life, and to others the savor of death 
unto death, according as men receive it. Just as the same Opposite 
sun melts the wax and hardens the clay ; or as the sun Effects of 
and rain, which make the living plants grow and blossom the Gospel, 
and bear fruit, are the instruments of decay to those which 
are dead. 



3. Long Time Therefore Abode They. — " The Atlantic mariner, 
any day, would rather have a storm than a fog." — Wm. ill. Taylor, D. D. 
Reference. — See under 8 : 56. Aid from opposition. 



Library. — The Acts of Paul and Tliekla, in the Ante-JVicene Fathers, 
vol. viii. pp. 487-492. Conybeare and Howson's St. Paul, chapter vi. ; 
Mrs. Jamieson's Sacred and Legendary Art, 2 :556. A critical estimate 
of the story in Prof. Ramsay's Church in the Roman Empire. 



The Legend of Paul and Thekla. — In connection with St. Paul's 
residence at Iconium, there exists a story of the conversion of a maiden 
named Thekla, of which the apocryphal ''-Acts of Paul and Thekla" 
represents the form into which the legend had grown in the fourth cen- 
tury. Thekla belonged to one of the noblest families in Iconium. 
While sitting at a window in her mother's house, she overheard Paul 
preaching in a neighboring house where he was staying. She was 
deeply affected and became a Christian. Her betrothed lover, Tham- 
yris, accused Paul of being a magician, and using his power to per- 
suade women from marriage. Paul was thrust into prison, scourged, 



XIV: 4~7 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 297 



4. But the multitude of the city was divided : and part held 
with the Jews, and part with the apostles. 

5. And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, 
and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, 
and stone them. 

6. They were ware of it, and fled unto Lys'tra and Der'be, 
cities of Lyc'ao'nhi, and unto the region that lieth round about : 

7. And there they preached the gospel. 



and then expelled from Iconiurn. Thekla bribed the gaoler, visited 
Paul in prison, and was instructed by him in the Christian faith. She 
w as found there by her mother and lover, and was condemned to be 
burned to death in the theatre. She was put upon the pyre, but the 
flames refused to burn her ; like the three men in Nebuchednezzar's 
furnace. Then a storm came on and quenched the fire and killed many 
of the spectators. Later she was condemned to be thrown to the wild 
beasts, but a lioness crouched at her feet, and defended her from a lion 
and a bear, dying in Thekla's defense. " After many troubles she joined 
St. Paul in his missionary travels, and ultimately made her home in the 
neighborhood of Seleucia, where she led the life of a nun till her death, 
which took place when she was 90 years old. The story may at first 
have had some basis of truth," but though most of it is mere legend, it 
gives us a vivid picture of the times. 



5. Assault, 6p|iT], from a root, meaning to flow, hence the rush of 
emotion, a violent impulse or onset, an impulse. 



5. And There Was an Assault. — " There is nothing which the world 
resents so much as an attempt to carry out a better measure than 
existed before. A man who would benefit the world must take leave 
of his own reputation first ; for the world never let a man bless it but 
it first fought him ; it never let him give it a boon without first giving 
him a buffet. If with one effort you should raise a tree twenty feet 
high, so as to make it forty feet high, you would not do more violence 
to its roots than you do to society, when you attempt suddenly to 
elevate it above its former level. If there were a 
hundred violins together, all playing below concert pitch, Trouble 
and I should take a real Cremona, and with the hand of a Caused 
Paganini should bring it strongty up to the true key, and by 
then should sweep my bow across it like a storm, and Reforms, 
make it sound forth clear and resonant, what a demoniac 
jargon would the rest of the playing seem ! Yet the other musicians 
would be enraged at me. They would think all the discord was mine, 



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XIV: 8-10 



8. II And there sat a certain man at Lys'tra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple 
from his mother's womb, who never had walked: 

9. The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving 
that he had faith to be healed, 

10. Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and 
walked. 



and I should be to them a demoniac. So it is with reformers. The 
world thinks the discord is with them, and not in its own false playing. 
All those rosy philosophers who go dancing along the ways of life, and 
expect to reform men through ease and pleasure, and are surprised 
when at first snow-flakes are thrown at them, and then icicles, and 
then avalanches, had better fold their gauzy wings at once. They are 
not wanted. They are not of that heroic race who advance the world." 
— H. W. Beecher. 



6. To Stone Them. — " Do they cast us out of the city ? They cannot 
cast us out of that city which is in the heavens Till they can do this, 
they are pelting us with drops of water, or striking us with the wind." — 

Gregory Nazianzen. 

Burning of Tynd ale's Bible. — " The burning of Tyndale's Testaments 
at the cross of St. Paul's, by order of the bishop of London, gave the 
exiled translator the means of carrying on his work with greater vigor ; 
and next to the faithful labors of its own adherents, the Gospel has 
been most indebted for its progress to the blind antagonism of its 
adversaries. 'Truth, like a torch, the more it's shook, the more it 
shines.' "— Wm. M. Taylor. 

8. Impotent, aSvvaros, unable, almost universally in the New Testa- 
ment, impossible, showing the absoluteness of his lameness. 



9. He Had Faith. — " Take a piece of wax and a piece of gold of the 
same magnitude ; the wax is not valuable with the gold ; 
but as this wax is placed at the end of some will, by virtue Sealing 
of which some great estate is confirmed and conveyed, so Wax 
it may be worth many hundred pounds. So faith, consid- Made 
ered purely in itself, doth challenge nothing more than More 
any other graces ; nay, in some sense it is inferior, it being Valuable 
an empty hand ; but as this hand receives the precious Than 
alms of Christ's merits and is an instrument or channel Gold, 
through which the blessed streams of life flow to us from 
Him, so it doth challenge a superiority over, and is more excellent 
than, all other graces whatsoever. " — Spencer. 



XIV: II, 12 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 299 



- 11. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted 
up their voices, saying in the speech of Lyc'ad'nia, The gods 
are come down to us in the likeness of men. 

12. And they called Barnabas, Ju'piter; and Paul, Mercu'rius, 
because he was the chief speaker. 



10. Paul Said. — ' ' Every true and free born spirit 
feels that he is a born leader, and does not need either the gilt spur or 
the laying of the sword upon his shoulder to send him forth as a knight 
to rescue all that is innocent and oppressed." — John Milton. 

Picture. — Paul and Barnabas at Lystra, Raphael, So. Kensington. 



11. The Gods are Come Down to Us. — "Scholars tell us of legends 
in Greek mythology, localizing a kindly descent of Jupiter in that very 
district ; but, apart from that, the words are the voice of longing, and 
of glad surprise that dreams had come true, and wishes been fulfilled. 
Like distorted and obscure reflections in muddy water, they give a 
blurred image of the great truth." — Maclaren. 



Homer's Representations of Gods Among Men. — Homer, for 
example, is full of such incidents. Thus, when Ulysses lands upon his 
native shore, Pallas meets him 

" in the shape 
Of a young shepherd delicately formed, 
As are the sons of kings. A mantle lay 
Upon her shoulder in rich folds ; her feet 
Shone in their sandals ; in her hands she bore 
A javelin." — Odyssey, xiii., 221-225. 

Again one rebukes a suitor for maltreating Ulysses : 

"Madman ! what if he 
Came down from heaven and were a god ! The gods 
Put on the form of strangers from afar, 
And walk our towns in many different shapes, 
To mark the good and evil deeds of men."— Odyssey, xvii., 485 sq. 

— M. R. Vincent, Word Stories. 



" For in similitude of strangers oft 
The gods who can with ease all shapes assume, 
Repair to populous cities, where they mark 
Th' outrageous and the righteous deeds of men." 

— Homer, Cowper's Translation. 



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SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIV: II, 12 



A Visit of Jupiter and Mercury to Lycaonia. — The story of the 
visit of the gods to Lycaonia was as follows : In return for the kind and 
hospitable welcome they had received from the two poor peasants, who 
unawares entertained the two immortals Jupiter and Mercury, these 
deities, while punishing the churlish and inhospitable inhabitants of the 
land who had refused to receive the strangers, by overwhelming them 
and their homes in a terrible inundation, rewarded their kind hosts by 
changing their little lowly hut into a proud temple, at the altars of 
which Baucis and Philemon were appointed to minister to the chief of 
the gods whom they had received disguised as a poor stranger into 
their humble cottage home. 

Ovid tells the story well and simply : 

" Here Jove with Hermes came ; but in disguise 
Of mortal men concealed their deities : 
One laid aside his thunder, one his rod ; 
And many toilsome steps together trod ; 
For harbor at a thousand doors they knocked, 
Not one of all the thousand but was locked ; 
At last a hospitable house they found, 
An homely shed ; the roof not far from ground, 
Was thatched with reeds and straw together bound, 
There Baucis and Philemon lived. 
From lofty roofs the gods repulsed before, 
Now stooping entered through the little door, 
The man (their hearty welcome first express'd) 
A common settle drew for either guest." 
The churlish neighbors were subsequently punished by a terrible flood 
which overwhelmed the surrounding country, while the hospitable 
kindly couple were amazed to see the strange change which befell their 
humble cottage : 

"Their little shed, scarce large enough for two, 
Seems from the ground increased, in height and bulk to grow. 
A stately temple shoots within the skies : 
The crotchets of their cot in columns rise : 
The pavement polished marble they behold, 
The gates with sculpture graced, the spires and tiles of gold." 
{Metamorphoses, Book viii. , Dryden's Translation). — Schaff. 

Library. — This story is beautifully told in Hawthorne's Tangleicood 
Tales., Ovid's Metamorphoses, Bk. viii. 



12. Barnabas, Jupiter, probably because he was the older, larger man 
and more imposing at first appearance. 



XIV: 1 3—18 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 301 



13. Then the priest of Ju'piter, which was before their city, 
brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have 
done sacrifice with the people. 

14. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, 
they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying 
done out, 

15. And saj'ing, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are 
men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye 
should turn from these vanities unto the living god which made heaven and earth 
and the sea, and all things that are therein ; 

16. Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. 

17. Nevertheless he left not himself without, witness, in that he did good, and gave 
us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. 

18. And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not 
done sacrifice unto them. 



Paul, Mercury, the messenger of the Greek gods and the god of elo- 
quence, to whom was attributed the invention of letters. 
He was brave, spirited and active, and a great traveler. Description 
According to the portrait description in the acts of Paul of Mercury. 
and TheMa, Paul was " a man small in size, bald-headed, 
bandy-legged, stout, with eyebrows meeting, rather long-nosed, full of 
grace — for sometimes he seemed like a man, and sometimes 
he had the countenance of an angel. Other accounts add Description 
that he had small, piercing gray eyes. His manner was of Paul, 
singularly winning." 

This description agrees well with Paul's being called Mercury. 



14. Ran IN, eio-eTrrfi^a-av. els, into, and -rrnSdco, to leap or spring. " The 
best texts read e|eTrT|8ii<rav, sprang forth, " from the house or place where 
they were. The two prepositions express the different aspects in which 
the leaping is viewed. 



15. Of Like Passions (6fAoioira9eis\ from ojioios, like, and 7r&<rx«. to 
receive an impression good or bad ; referring here to the nature which 
God has impressed upon us or endowed us with. 

Preach Unto You, evayyeXitojjievoi vjias, are proclaiming the good 
news to you, the joyful privilege of repenting and turning from these 
vanities. 



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Library, — v. 16. Suffered all nations, etc. Walker's Pnilosophy of 
the Plan of Salvation gives a fine explanation for this method of dealing. 



302 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIV:I9-2I 



19. "J And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Ico'nium, who per- 
suaded the people, and, having stoued Paul, drew Mm out of the city, supposing 
he had been dead. 

20. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into 
the city: and the next day he departed with Bar'nabas to Der'be. 

21. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, 
they returned again to Ly'stra, and to Ico'nium, and Antioch, 

17. Rain is one of the most marvelous things in nature. Itisasign, 
almost a miracle. Water is 700 times heavier than air, and yet all 
our rivers and lakes were lifted up to the sky by the 
intangible rays of the sun, and floated in the cloud chariots Water in 
above us, a thing that would seem impossible did we the Floating 
not know it to be a fact. Ruskin gives the only explanation Clouds. 
I have seen, that each particle of water in the air is like a 
tiny soap bubble, a film with nothing within it. Thus God in nature 
teaches his goodness and power, and leads men to love and trust him. 



" We are too insensible, too shortsighted, to see all the stars of God's 
goodness in our sky. Only here and there do we perceive a point of 
light, a larger or a lesser sun or planet. But had we finer spiritual 
vision, we should perceive the innumerable points of light in what are 
now to us but the dark interstellar spaces. The highly sensitized plate 
of the astronomical photographer reveals a countless multitude of stars 
where a field-glass, or even a telescope, fails to discover aught but 
blank space. Says an English astronomer : "So far as we have gone 
at present in astronomical photography, we have not yet sounded the 
depths of the stellar universe ; every increase of exposure has given a 
corresponding increase in the number of stars, and many eminent 
authorities believe that, with sufficient exposure, we shall find that the 
whole of the heavens is full of stars, and it will be possible to get plates 
in which the star images will be so numerous and so close together that 
they will overlap, and the plate will appear simply as a blaze of light." 
So, too, we may say that we have not gone so far yet in our spiritual 
perceptions, — we are not yet so spiritually sensitized as to see our sky 
a blaze of light. " — Sunday School Times. 

21. Taught, n.a0TiT€v<ravT€s, made disciples of, pupils, learners in the 
school of Christ. 

Ltbkary . — vs. 19. The gods are come down to us — stoned Paul, Robert 
Browning's Poems, " The Patriot," with whom at first 
" It was roses, roses all the way, 

With myrtle mixed in my path like mad : 



XIV : 22 THE ACTS OF THE ArOSTLES 303 

; * * 

22. Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them 
to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribu- 
lation enter into the kingdom of God. 



The house roofs seemed to heave and sway, 

The church-spires flamed, such flags they had, 
A year ago this very day." 

But in one year all was changed for neglect, and chains and stoning, 
and a possible scaffold. 

" How many a spirit, born to bless, 

Hath sunk beneath that withering name, 
Whom but a day's, an hour's success 
Had wafted to eternal flame ! 

" As exhalations when they burst 

From the warm earth, if chilled at first, 
If checked in soaring from the plain, 
Darken to fogs and sink again ; 

" But if they once triumphant spread 

Their wings above the mountain-head, 
Become enthroned in upper air 

And turn to sun bright glories there." 

— Moore's Lalla Rookh, " The Fire Worshippers." 



22. Through Much Tribulation. — "' Most words,' says Professor 
Campbell (' On the Language of Sophocles') ' have been originally meta- 
phors, and metaphors are continually falling into the rank of words,' 
Arbp. Trench says that ' a single word is often a concentrated poem, 
a little grain of gold capable of being beaten out into a broad extent of 
gold leaf.' He instances this word tribulation, which is derived from 
' Tribulum ' the Roman thrashing instrument or roller, whereby the 
Roman husbandman separated the corn from the husks ; and ' tribulatio ' 
in its primary significance was the act of this separation. But some 
Latin writer of the Christian church appropriated the word and image 
for the setting forth of a higher truth ; and sorrow, distress and 
adversity being the appointed means for the separating in men of their 
chaff from their wheat, of whatever in them was light and trivial and 
poor, from the solid and the true, therefore he called these sorrows and 
griefs 'tribulations,' thrashings, that is, of the inner spiritual man, 
without which there could be no fitting him for the spiritual garner," 
— R. C. Trench. 



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SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XIV:22 



Tribulation. — Separation of Grain From Chaff. 

" Till from the straw the flail the corn doth beat, 
Until the chaff be purged from the wheat, 
Yea, till the mill the grains in pieces tear, 
The richness of the flour will scarce appear. 
So till men's persons great afflictions touch, 
If worth be found, their worth is not so much, 
Because like wheat in straw, they have not yet 
That value which in thrashing they may get. 
For till the bruising flails of God's corrections 
Have thrashed out of us our vain affections ; 
Till those corruptions which do misbecome us 
Are by thy sacred Spirit winnowed from us ; 
Until from us the straw of worldly treasures 
Till all the dusty chaff of empty pleasures, 
Yea, till his flail upon us he doth lay, 
To thrash the husk of this our flesh away, 
And leave the soul uncovered ; nay, yet more, 
Till God shall make our very spirit poor, 
"We shall not up to highest wealth aspire ; 
But then we shall ; and that is my desire." 

— Geo. Herbert. 

The Peine Forte et Dure. — " The Greek word here translated 
' tribulations ' is GXuJus, and is derived from 0XCp«, to press or squeeze. 
' Trench cites in illustration of 0\t\|/is, pressure, the provision of the old 
English law by which those who wilfully refused to plead had heavy 
weights placed on their breasts, and so were pressed and crushed to 
death (Synonyms of the New Testament).'" — M. R. Vincent. 

One case only of the infliction of the peine forte et dure occurred in 
this country in its early history in the case of Giles Corey. 
" He would be thrown upon his back and weights of stone Peine Forte 
or iron would be piled upon him. There he would be kept et Dure, 
sometimes for days, the weights gradually increasing, until 
the sufferer had consented to plead or had been pressed to death." See 
Allen's New England Tragedies in Prose, p. 147. 

Anguish is from the Latin A ngustia, narrowness, the pain of passing 
through a very narrow and difficult way. 



The Baron's ^Eolian. — " A German baron had a deep ravine near his 
castle, and thought to make a huge JEolian harp of it. He stretched 
wires across it. In the gentle breeze it was silent : but when great 
storms blew down the ravine, the air was filled with music." — R, M> 
Meredith. 



XIV: 22 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



305 



Oaks in the Storm. — " The stoutest timber stands 
on Norwegian rocks, where tempests rage, and long, 
hard winters reign. The muscles are seen most fully 
developed in the brawny arm that plies the hammer. 
Even so, the most vigorous and healthy piety is that 
which is ever active in a busy world, which has diffi- 
culties to battle with." — Bishop Mcllvaine. 



A. D. 45-48. 

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The Complaining Flute. — " We remember a parable in which a 
preacher says, ' Look at this flute ; it was a piece of wood ; what has 
made it a flute ? The rifts, the holes in it.' What life is there through 
which affliction does not make some rift ? All went well till then ; but 
through that rift in the life came thought and feeling. 4 So,' said the 
preacher, * I listened to a flute one day, complaining that it was spoiled 
by having a number of holes bored in it. " Once," it said, " I was a 
piece of wood, very beautiful to look upon ; now I am spoiled by all 
these rifts and holes ; " and it said all this mournfully and musically. 
4 O thou foolish flute,' I said, ' without these rifts and holes thou wouldst 
only be a mere stick, a bit of mere hard, black ebony, soon to be thrown 
away. Those rifts and holes have been the making of thee ; they have 
made thee into a flute ; they are thy life, thy character, thy music and 
melody, and thou wilt not now be cast aside with contempt, but touched 
by even the fingers of future generations.' " — Sunday at Home. 

Man in the Best Possible World. — There is a story told in the 
Choir Boy of York Cathedral of a man named Theodorus, who went to 
Athens and fell asleep in the temple of Minerva. He dreamed that he 
went to another place, where there was a Palace of Destiny. This was 
in the form of a pyramid. Each story represented a world. Theodorus 
saw a friend of his, ' ' called Sextus, in each one of these stories, or 
worlds " In one world he was prosperous and good ; in another, he was 
contented with a very humble lot ; in still another he was a king, and a 
good king, too. Finally, Theodorus entered the highest apartment of 
all, and was so delighted that he nearly fainted with joy. But here he 
saw Sextus, a wicked man and ruined forever. "This," said his guide, 
" is the very best world of all;" but Theodorus was puzzled to know 
how it could be the best, and yet make his friend Sextus worse off in it 
than in any of the others. "It is the best possible world," said his 
guide, " and Sextus might have made the best out of it." " The best pos- 
sible world " is best only for those who have learned to love and obey God 
perfectly. Adam was driven from Paradise because it was not the best 
place for him. A world of discipline is the best then. But when men 
are fully redeemed from sin, then they can also dwell in Paradise 
Regained, the glorious city of God. 
20 



306 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XIV: 22 



Growing Under Weights.— "We learn that it is out of struggles that 
we must get the nobleness and beauty of character after which we are 
striving. One of the old Scotch martyrs had on his crest the motto, Sub 
pondere cresco (' I grow under a weight'). On the crest was a palm- 
tree, with weights depending from its fronds. In spite of the weights 
the tree was straight as an arrow, lifting its crown of graceful foliage 
high up in the serene air. It is well known that the palm grows best 
loaded down with weights. Thus this martyr testified that he, like the 
beautiful tree of the Orient, grew best in his spiritual life under weights. 
This is the universal law of spiritual growth. There must be resistance, 
straggle, conflict, or there can be no development of strength. We are 
inclined to pity those whose lives are scenes of toil and hardship, but 
God's angels do not pity them if only they are victorious ; for in their 
overcoming they are climbing daily upward towards the holy heights 
of sainthood. The beatitudes in the Apocalypse are all for overcomers. 
Heaven's rewards and crowns lie beyond battle-plains. Spiritual life 
always needs opposition. It flourishes most luxuriantly in adverse cir- 
cumstances. We grow best under weights, We find our richest bless- 
ings iu the burdens we dread to take up." — J. R. Miller, D. D. 



' ' The path of sorrow, and that path alone, 
Leads to that land where sorrow is unknown." 



"Per aspera ad astra." 



The rainbow can be painted only on a storm. The most beautiful 
radiance of the sunset is reflected only from the clouds. Venus, the 
fabled goddess of beauty, sprang from the foam of the sea. " The hill 
Difficulty lies in every upward path." 

Bringing Out the Colors of Cloth. — " In some of the most delicate 
manufactures of this country, the web, in a rude and unsightly state, 
enters a vessel filled with a certain liquid, passes slowly through and 
emerges continuously at the opposite side. As it enters, the cloth seems 
all of one color, and that one dim and unattractive ; as it emerges, it 
glitters in a variety of brilliant hues arranged in cunning figures, like a 
robe of needlework for the adornment of a queen. The liquid through 
which the fabric passes is composed of certain fiery, biting acids ; and 
the reason why it is strained through such a bath is, that in the passage 
all the deforming and defiling things that have adhered to its surface in 
preceding processes may be discharged, and the figures, already secretly 
imprinted, may shine out in their beauty. Thus the disciples of Christ 
are in this life drawn through great tribulation, that in its bitter waters 
the manifold incrustations that defile their beauty may be discharged 



XIV : 23-26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 307 



23. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, 
and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the 
Lord, on whom they believed. 

24. And after they had passed throughout Pisid'Ia, they came 
to Pamphylia. 

25. And when they had preached the word in Per'ga, they 
went down into At'tali'a: >h 

26. And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to 
the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. 



ere they appear before the great white throne. Already, and by the 
ministry of the spirit, the various features of their Eedeemer's likeness 
have been secretly imprinted on their hearts ; but these features have 
been so overlaid by manifold corruptions in actual life that the new 
nature can scarcely be recognized. Hence the necessity of providing a 
searching medium, and making even those who are ' his workmanship' 
pass through it for their own good. I have been informed, as I looked 
curiously on the web in perpetual motion passing through, that if it 
were allowed to remain one minute too long in the bath the fabric itself 
would be destroyed. The manufacturer, skilful and careful, has so 
tempered the ingredients on the one hand, and timed the passage on the 
other, that, while the impurities are thoroughly discharged, the fabric 
comes out uninjured. In wisdom and love, both infinite, the Lord has 
mingled the ingredients and determined the duration of the baptism. 
So that on the one hand none of His should be lost, and on the other 
every grace of the spirit should be brought out in its beauty upon all His 
own.'' — Arnot. 

Iron Ore Transformed. — It would seem to be a great hardship to a 
lump of iron ore, if it were conscious, that it should have to be melted, 
separated from its accretions, beaten together into a bar of pure metal, 
then heated again and cooled suddenly, exposed in this way in quick 
succession to the most rapid and intense changes of temperature, and 
hammered furiously while these terrible processes are going on. " Why 
can not I be left in peace," it might say, ' ' in my condition as ore ? I 
am contented with that form of life." Yet it is only by such processes 
that it can be promoted in quality from the sluggish state of raw metal, 
compounded with alloy, to steel. — T. Starr King. 



Through Tribulation. — The blessing is that it is through tribula- 
tion. The tribulation is left behind, as are the acids the cloth passes 
through, or the fires that made the iron malleable, or the thrashing 
instrument that purified the grain. All these are but for a time. They 
are passed through, but the results and blessings are eternal. 



A. D. 48. 

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308 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIV: 27, 28 



27. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they 
rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of 
faith unto the Gentiles. 

28. And there they abode long time with the disciples. 



23. Ordained, xaporovrjo-avTcs. x €l P> the hand, and tcivw, to stretch ; 
hence, extending the hand, to vote, to elect, appoint. 

God Leadeth as in Triumph, v. 27 '. — Rehearsed all that God had 
done for them. In 2 Cor. 2:14. " Paul says, ' Thanks be unto God, which 
always leadeth us in triumph in Christ . . . for we are a sweet savor 
of Christ unto God in them that are being saved, and in them that are 
perishing.' The metaphor was gathered from the scene of a Roman 
triumph, one of the most notable events in the old world, where some 
great general, a Caesar or Marius, returning from distant scenes of tri- 
umph, ascended the Capitoline Hill, amid the plaudits of the assembled 
citizens and the fragrance of sweet odors. Before his chariot were 
paraded captive kings and princes ; after it came long lines of prisoners, 
laden with the spoils of war. About the time (A. D. 50-51) this was 
written Claudius was celebrating his victories in Britain, and among his 
captives marched the brave Caractacus. To the vivid imagination of 
the apostle, it seemed as though the pageantry of this scene, which so 
often stirred Rome to its heart, was a meek emblem of the progress of 
Christ through the world. Hades and Death bound to his chariot 
wheels, his arms filled with spoils, his train composed of the thousands 
whom he had conquered, and amongst whom Paul was proud to count 
himself." — F. B. Meyer, in St. Paul. 



XV: I, 2 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 
CHAPTER XV. 



309 



1. And certain men which came down from Judea taught the 
brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner 
of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 

2. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dis- 
sension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul 
and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to 
Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. 



2. Dissension, o-Tdo-€«s, from, IVrruu, to stand; a 
standing, a position, taken. Hence, a party taking a 
definite position, different from others ; hence, a fac- 
tion, thence a dispute, a discord, a contest. 



Differences of Opinion Among Good Men. — There 
are certain to be wide differences of opinion among 
good men, in which each party feels sure that it is right, and that its 
view is of vital importance to the kingdom of God. 



The Tour of the Virtues. — In Bulwer's Pilgrims of the Rhine, 
there is a story or apologue called the Tour of the Virtues. The virtues 
"getting tired of living forever with the Bishop of Norwich, resolved 
to make an excursion from Westminster Bridge to Richmond. On the 
way the Virtues got to quarreling over practical matters that came 
up, Courage with Prudence ; Charity with Justice ; Hospitality with 
Temperance and Economy ; Ambition with Modesty ; Generosity with 
Economy. Each one tells her own experience. They often got mis- 
placed. Prudence ends the story thus : " Circumstances must be favor- 
able to our exertions, and harmonious with our nature ; and we lose 
our very divinity unless Wisdom direct our footsteps to the home we 
should inhabit, and the dispositions we should govern." 



The Fable of the Shield, made of gold on one side and silver on 
the other, and the two knights riding toward it from opposite direc- 
tions, and righting long and hard because one insisted that the shield 
was gold, and the other knew that it was silver. 



A. D. 50. 

ANTIOCH IN 
SYRIA. 
Visitors 
from 
Jerusalem. 

Serious 
Difference 
Concerning 

the 
Admission 
of the 
Gentiles. 
Delegates 
Appointed 

to go to 
Jerusalem. 

CLAUDIUS, 
EMP. OF ROME. 

* 



The Divine, Changing Methods. —The religion of the Jews was 
divine ; its rites and ceremonies were ordained by God. The promises 



3io 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XV: I, 2 



of the Messiah and the redemption of the world were to them, the chil- 
dren of Abraham. And they were unable to see how the Gentiles could 
be children of God, and a part of the kingdom of God, except by becom- 
ing Jews. Paul's view seemed to them to deny God's own institutions 
and promises. 

It was like an acorn bursting its shell, in order to become 
an oak. The shell was divinely given, but the time came Acorn 
when its work was done, and it was as divinely riven. Becoming 
Only by bursting its Judaistic shell could the great tree of an Oak. 
God come forth, as was intended from the beginning. 



The scaffolding is needful for the building while in pro- Scaffolding 
cess of erection. But the time comes when the same and the 
authority that ordains the scaffolding, ordains its removal. Building. 

The Shadow of Good Men. —"Oh, yes! she was a dreadful good 
woman, mother, no doubt of that. All the same, I can't really and 
trully think of her only as castin' kind of a shadder round her even in 
heaven ; and I know she must have been afraid at first that the. angels 
was a little too happy." — Christian Union. 



Forms in Themselves, and as a Condition of Salvation. — " If 
men took a right view of circumcision — St. Paul had not the slightest 
objection to it ; but circumcision as a compulsory practice binding 
upon all men St. Paul utterly abhorred. We may, perhaps, draw an 
illustration from a modern church in this respect. The Coptic and 
Abyssinian churches retain the ancient Jewish practice of 
circumcision. These churches date back to the earliest Circumcision 
Christian times, and retain doubtless in this respect the Among 
practice of the primitive Christian church. The Copts cir- the Copts, 
cumcise their children on the eighth day and before they 
are baptized ; but they regard this rite as a mere national custom, and 
treat it as absolutely devoid of any religious meaning, significance, or 
necessity. St. Paul would have had no objection to circumcision in this 
aspect any more than he would have objected to a Turk for 
wearing a fez, or a Chinaman for wearing a pigtail, or a Peculiar 
Hindoo for wearing a turban. National customs, as such, Dress as 
were things absolutely indifferent in his view. But if Turk- Free or as a 
ish or Chinese Christians were to insist upon all men Condition of 
wearing their peculiar dress and observing their peculiar Salvation, 
national customs as being things absolutely necessary to 
salvation, St. Paul, were he alive, would denounce and oppose them as 
vigorously as he did the Judaisers of his own day." — Prof. Stokes. 



XV: I, 2 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



" If any Christian holding St. Paul's view chose to 
add any private ceremony, such as circumcision in 
order to gain admission into any human society, St. 
Paul would not have opposed him any more than, if he 
were now alive, he would have opposed or denounced 
a Christian man because he became a Freemason, or 
an Orangeman, or joined the Oddfellows, observing 
the special ceremonies appointed for admission. The 
nearest approach in later times to the position taken 
up by the strict Jewish party will be found in the 
history of mediseval monasticism. The Cistercians, 
and subsequently the Mendicant Orders, endeavored to 
persuade every person that every one who wished to 
be saved must join their Orders and assume their 

peculiar dress. On this account Fitz Ealph, Arch- * " — * 

bishop of Armagh, and his friend Wickliffe denounced them most vig- • 

orously. I have given some amusing instances of the opposition to the 

Cistercians evoked t wo centuries earlier by similar claims 

in Ireland and the Anglo-Norman Church, p. 42. I have Cistercians. 

known extreme men to take up the position that the gospel 

could not be preached where the black gown was not used. Any one 

who will take the trouble to read the Life of Bishop Blomfield of 

London, edited by his son, vol. ii., will see some striking illustrations 

of the extent to which such views were pushed half a century ago." — 

Pro/, Stokes. 



Progress by Grafting. — ' ' How many thousands of little scrubby, 
thorny, useless apple-trees are growing wild about the fields and pas- 
tures, which are only a nuisance, and which will never be of any value, 
but which if grafted, would every year bear great burdens of rosy, 
luscious, beautiful fruit ! And these deep-rooted, hardy, thrifty trees, 
are far better when grafted than any of the slender, spindling, half- 
rooted things that may be bought of the nurseryman, many of which 
will never find a soil so rich as they were started in, and will never 
become thrifty, well-set trees. 

" And the growth of such grafts is so rapid, and the returns are so 
prompt that the most short-sighted person can see the results. 

" On an old and neglected farm among the hills of Massachusetts there 
were growing ip the fields and hedge-rows perhaps a hundred or more 
of such neglected, useless trees. Late in the spring of 1895, a lot of 
these were grafted ; and in October, at the close of a short season's 
growth, a few of these were measured by the writer. They were per- 
haps three inches long when set ; but when measured the longest was 



* 

A. D. 50. 

ANTIOCH IN 
SYRIA. 
Visitors 
from 
Jerusalem. 

Serious 
Difference 
Concerning 

the 
Admission 
of the 
tie utiles. 
Delegates 
Appointed. 

to go to 
Jerusalem. 

CLAUDIUS, 
EMP. OF ROME. 



312 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XV: 3-5 



3. And beiug brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenl'ce 
and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy 
unto all the brethren. 

4. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, 
and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with 
them. 

5. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, 
That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of 
Moses. 



four feet eleven and a half inches in length. Others measured four feet, 
three feet and a half, and so on down to a few inches. 

''There is a mighty difference in a period of fifty or sixty years between 
a thorny old scrub of a tree bearing a few pecks of sour, or wormy, or 
puckery apples, and a grafted tree bearing, as some do, five, or ten, or 
even tiventy barrels of Baldwins every year — almost as much difference 
as there is between a godless worldling or dead church member, stand- 
ing among the weeds and thorns of worldly care and dropping only 
sourness and bitterness, and a tree planted in the garden of God and 
bringing forth bounteous supplies of rich and blessed fruit to glorify the 
heavenly Father." — H. L. Hastings, D. D. 



It was the gospel graft on the Jewish tree through which the king- 
dom of heaven has grown so great and will spread its branches over the 
whole earth. See St. Paul's development of this figure in Romans 11. 



Too Much Dissension. — One of the oldest of stories, coming down 
from the ancient Greek, is that of the man who wished to sell his house, 
and brought to the intended purchaser one of the bricks as a specimen 
of the house to judge it by. Some moderns have improved 
on the ancient and classic method, and for judging of the A Specimen 
church, of the Puritans, of old theology, or of the opposite Brick, 
party, do not bring even a brick, but some broken pieces 
which the builder had thrown away. There is no little danger of 
magnifying the evil, and dwelling upon it, out of all proportion to the 
real good of which it was but one incident, like the man who could see 
a fly on the stained glass window two miles away, but did not see the 
window. 



5. Sect, cupeVews, our word " Heresy " is a transcript of the Greek, 
from alpe'ojAcu, to choose. Hence, a chosen opinion, one different from 
the common opinion, a sect, or school. 



XV: 6-14 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 313 



6. 1 And the apostles and elders came together for to con- 
sider of this matter. 

7. And when there had heen much disputing, Peter rose up, 
and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a 
good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by 
my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 

8. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, 
giving them the Holy Ghost, even as Tie did unto us; 

9. And put no difference between us and them, purifying 
their hearts by faith. 

10. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the dis- 
ciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 

11. But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be 
saved, even as they. 

12. If Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Bar'nabas and 
Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles 
by them. 

13. If And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and 
brethren, hearken unto me: 

14. Sim'eon bath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out 
of them a people for his name. 



6. To Consider of this Matter. — 7. Much Disputing. 

Liberty of discussion is not only right, but it is the only safe way. 
Powder burned loose on the rock in the open air makes a 
great blaze and smoke, but does little harm. That powder Powder 
confined in a rock produces an earthquake, or shatters a Loose or 
mountain. The Nation or the Church that tries to stifle Confined, 
free thought and free discussion is living on a volcano, and 
no one knows how soon the eruption may come. 



Dr. Holmes used to say that he talked often less to express his 
opinions, than to crystalize them, to develop them. 



And God Bare Them Witness. — " It is the sovereign's stamp which 
settles the question as to the right of a coin to be counted current 
among loyal subjects of that sovereign. When God puts His stamp of 
approval on a man, or on a woman, or on a movement, that fact ought 
to weigh beyond any individual opinion as to the original 
propriety of such an approval. So, also, as to preachers God's Stamp 
and.methods of preaching, as to denominational peculiari- on the 
ties and modes of working, as to special agents and agencies Gold, 
in Christian endeavor ; not what we thought God would 
approve, but what we find God has approved, ought to weigh most with 
us in deciding the question of our accepting or belittling that instru- 



, * 

A. ». 50. 

JERUSALEM. 
Conference 
Concerning 

the 
Admission 

of the 
Gentiles. 
Peter's 
Address. 



314 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XV: 6-14 



mentality or undertaking. Gamaliel's warning is as timely for our 
day as it was for his, in many a matter of treating Christian work and 
Christian workers. In opposing those who claim to staud for God, while 
they differ with us, we may ' be found to be fighting against God.' " — 
H. C. Trumbull D. D. 

12. Declaring What God Had Wrought. — Missionaries can do the 
most good by returning every few years to visit the home church. The 
churches need to hear the report of their work from the actors themselves. 
' ' Rich in experience that angels might covet, 
Rich in a faith that has grown with the years." 
The foreign workers need to come in contact with home influences, to 
gain fresh impulses, to keep in harmony with church progress and 
methods. They need it for bodily health, as a preventive rather than a 
cure; but still more for mental and moral stimulus. "It is twice 
blessed. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." 



Heroisms of Peace. — "There has never been a time among men, 
when Whittier's view of heroism had not its recognition by truest souls : 
' Dream not of helm and harness 
The sign of valor true ; 
Peace hath higher tests of manhood 
Than battle ever knew.' 

Sir Philip Sidney is more widely recognized as the hero, in his self- 
denying proffer of the longed-for draught of wine on the field of Zut- 
phen, than in any exploit of his knightly life before he lay there dying. 
And Grace Darling and Florence Nightingale have a higher meed of 
praise in the world's approval to-day, than Jeanne d'Arc. Yet even 
these heroes of peaceful achievement had their opportunities of high and 
well-known doing, "without which their heroism would never have been 
recognized by the world at large. Their real heroism, however, was in 
their real spirit and conduct ; not in the publicity of their performance 
and in the world's recognition of their claim to admiration and honor. 
So far, all will agree. It is self-apparent that heroism may be evidenced 
where the world cannot see the proof ; but it is not so commonly real- 
ized, that much of the truest heroism is in conflicts that are never met, 
and in battles that are never fought." — Sunday School Times. 



13. James Answered. — Thomas Hooker, Hartford's first minister, 
wrote these wise words, which it is well to repeat : 

" If men would be tender and careful to keep off offensive expressions 
they might keep some distance in opinion without hazard to truth or 
love." 



XV : 15-20 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 3 1 5 



15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is 
written, 

16. After this I will return; and will build again the taber- 
nacle of David, which is fallen down ; and I will build again 
the ruins thereof, and I will set it up : 

17. That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and 
all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, 
who doeth all these things. 

18. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of ^ »J« 

the world. 

19. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the 
Gentiles are turned to God: 

20. But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and 
from fornication, and from things strangled, and f rom blood. 



When one observes how often in controversy interest in the original 
issue gives place to personal antagonisms, and how large a part of the 
material of the dispute is furnished by " offensive expressions," it would 
appear that too much care cannot be given to avoid or sup- 
press them. If this one thing could be secured, and that Kind 
"evil member," of which the Epistle of James has so much Words in 
to say, could be controlled, it would not be hard to believe Controversy, 
that Christian union was already changing from an unsub- 
stantial dream to a present and blessed reality. Just now there is large 
room for men of the Patroclus type, as Homer describes him : 
" And straight Patroclus rose, 
The genial comrade, who amid the strife 
Of kings, and war of angry utterance, 
Held even balance to his outraged friends 
Heart true, yet ever strove with kindly words 
To hush the jarring discord, urging peace." 

— Henry M. Stimson, D.D. 

15. As it is Written, in the prophet Amos : 

"What an unspent vitality there was in the seed-thought of God, 
buried in Amos centuries before, that it should spring up in the Spirit, 
warmed mind of James at this crisis." — Bp. Warren. 

18. Known Unto God From the Beginning. — The rare blossoms of 
the night-blooming cereus, and the late flowering of the century-plant 
were planned for from the very beginning. Every development was a 
part of the original plan. The putting forth of new leaves, and the 
breaking forth of the flower from the bud, are not a condemnation 
or rejection of the past, but an endorsement of it. The whole past 
would have been a failure, but for the new development. 



A. D. 50. 

JERUSALEM. 
Conference 
Concerning 

the 
Admission 
of the 
Gentiles. 
James' 
Speech. 



3i6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XV:2I~32 



21. For Moses of old time bath iu every city them that preach him, being read 
iu the synagogues every sabbath day. 

22. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send 
chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely 
Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren : 

23. And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders 
and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in An'tloch 
and Syr'ia and Cili'cia; 

24. Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have 
troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, 
and keep the law ; to whom we gave no such commandment. 

25. It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen 
men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul. 

26. Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

27. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same 
things by mouth. 

28. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater 
burden than these necessary things ; 

29. That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things 
strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do 
well. Fare ye well. 

30. So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had 
gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle! 

31. Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. 

32. And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren 
with many words, and confirmed them. 



23. Greeting. — xaiptiv, rejoice, hail, ivelcome, joy be with you, the 
usual Greek salutation. Compare our word Goodbye, ' 'God be with you," 
and Fare-well. 

24. Subverting. — dvao-K€vdj;ovT€s, from dvd, up, ando-K€vos, a utensil ; 

to pack up utensils or baggage in order to move to another place, hence 
a general overturning, disynantling a house, plundering a town or 
field. A very expressive metaphor for the general upsetting and 
unsettling of the disciples' minds and consciences. 



29. Consolation. — irapaKXTjo-ei. 32. exhorted irapai<d\€<rav, the noun 
and the verb from the same root. Compare TrapaKX/nTos, another form, 
as the name of the Holy Spirit the Comforter. Fare ye well, cppwo-Ge, 
passive of p<&wv|u, to make strong hence to be strong in health, in 
prosperity. May you be strong and prevail. 28. Seemed good to the 
Holy Ghost. Often God's Spirit so touches and moves the human soul, 
that it is only just aware, at the time, that it is being wrought upon ; 
or he so operates that we can only tell, by comparing past things with 



XV: 21-32 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



317 



A. 9. 50. 

ANTIOCH. 
Return 
of tlie 
Delegation 

from 
Jerusalem, 



present, that we have changed our spiritual position. 4* 
It is found by us to be the fact that the Lord is not in 
the storm, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but 
rather in the " still small voice." 

"Silently, like morning light, 
Putting mists and chills to flight," 

he lays his hand upon us and touches the deepest 
springs of our nature. Any faith which does not include the action of 
God's gentle power in awakening, enlightening, renewing, reviving, 
the souls of men is utterly inadequate and completely fails to cover the 
facts of human experience. 



29. No Greater Burden, — 
" In necessariis unitas ; 
In dubiis libertas ; 
In omnibus caritas." 



:< In essentials unity ; 
In non-essentials liberty 
In all things charity." 



Trimmed jo a Pattern. — "At Wellesley, Massachusetts, is a beautiful 
lake, and on one side of that lake are the grounds of a gentleman, who 
has established there what is called an Italian garden; and all the ever- 
green trees are trimmed in perfect form and fashion : one to represent 
an oval, one to represent a table, one worked into a chair, one tower- 
ing up with peak — everything trimmed and formed and patterned 
according to the architect's conception. On the other side of the lake 
is Wellesley College, and the great forest trees are left just as nature 
made them, and the squirrels are playing on the sward, and the birds 
are singing their songs in the branches. The one is the kind of char- 
acter that sectarianism makes, the other the kind of character that 
Christ makes, For Christ has come to make men live, and just in the 
measure in which a man is Christian he is rounded and completed and 
enlarged in his life, and just in the measure in which he is sectarian he 
is cut and trimmed and fashioned according to some human pattern." 
— Lyman Abbott. 

The Italian gardens are but a small portion of the gentleman's 
grounds, and where art and nature have combined in true relations, the 
20 acres or more have been changed from a rough sheep pasture into 
the most beautiful grounds in New England. 



From Blood. — " Because in the blood was the animal's life, and it 
was the blood that was consecrated to make atonement, See Gen. ix. 
6 ; Lev. xvii. 10-14 ; Deut. xii. 23, 24. The Gentiles had no scruples 



3i8 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XV:2I~32 



about eating blood ; on the contrary, it was a special delicacy. Thus 
Homer : 

' At the fire 

Already lie the paunches of two goats, Heathen 

Preparing for our evening meal, and both Use of 

Are filled with fat and blood. Whoever shows Blood. 

Himself the better man in this affray, 

And conquers, he shall take the one of these 

He chooses.' 

Odyssey, xviii, 44 sq. 

The heathen were accustomed to drink blood mingled with wine at 
their sacrifices." — M. B. Vincent, Wood Studies. 



32. They Rejoiced for the Consolation. — Real good had come out 
of the controversy. 

" 'Old religious factions are volcanoes burned out,' says Burke ; 'on 
the lava and ashes and squalid scoriae of old eruptions grow the peace- 
ful olive, the cheering vine, and the sustaining corn.' Those who have 
seen the sides of Vesuvius can well appreciate the force of this image. 
There indeed may be seen tracts of desolation ; bare, black, and lurid 
beyond any other which earth can show. These are where the sulphur 
still lingers and repels every effort of vegetation. But there are also 
tracts, close adjoining to them, and even in the midst of 
them, where the green vineyard, the grey olive, the golden New Vin- 
orange, and the springing herb mark that, put of the attri- yards on 
tion and decomposition of the ancient streams of lava, the Extinct 
vital forces of nature can assert themselves with double Volcanoes, 
vigor, and create a new life under the very ribs of death. 
So it is with extinct theological controversies. So far, indeed, as they 
retain the bitterness, the fire and brimstone, of personal rancour and 
malignity, they are, and will be to the end of time, the most barren and 
profitless of all the works of man. But if this can be eliminated or 
corrected, it is undeniable not only that truths of various kinds take 
root and spring up in the soil thus formed, but that there is a fruitful 
and useful result produced by the contemplation of the transitory 
character of the volcanic eruptions which once seemed to shake the 
world." — Dean Stanley. 



Freedom of the Gospel. — The freedom given to men by Christ is 
illustrated by the drama of William Tell. Some of his words almost 
exactly express the Christian's feelings concerning " the glorious liberty 
of the children of God." 



XV: 21-32 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



319 



" I have sat -b 

In my boat at night, when midway o'er the lake 
The stars went out, and down the mountain gorge 
The wind came roaring, — I have sat and eyed 
The thunder breaking from his cloud, and smiled 
To see him shake his lightnings o'er my head, 

And think, ■ I have no master save his own.' " »J« ►!« 

"You know the jutting cliff, round which a tract 

Up hither winds, whose base is but the brow 

To such another one, with scanty room 

For two abreast to pass ? O'ertaken there 

By the mountain blast, I've laid me flat along, 

And while gust followed gust more furiously 

As if to sweep me o'er the horrid brink — 

And I thought of other lands, whose storms 

Are summer flaws to those of mine, and just 

Have wished me there, — the thought that mine was free 

Has checked that wish ; and I have raised my head, 

And cried in thraldom to that furious wind, 

• Blow on : this is the land of liberty I ' " 

So the Christian dwells in the land of liberty, and he can say to every 
impulse and desire of his renewed heart, " Blow on : this is the land of 
liberty." 



Bright Side. — One of the good missionary mothers of Turkey 
brought up her children with the proverb. " Look on the bright side ; 
and, if there is'nt any bright side, polish up the dark side." — Rev. 
Lyndon S. Crawford. 



Cadmus and the Dragon's Teeth. — In the old Greek legend of the 
founding of Thebes, Cadmus had to slay the dragon which guarded the 
site. He took the dragon's teeth and sowed them in the field like wheat, 
when from each one sprang up an armed giant. Cadmus threw a stone 
among them, which set them to fighting among themselves, and all 
were slain but one mighty giant, who aided Cadmus in building the city. 
So out of the contentions of men, out of the many theories and teach- 
ings, on any subject, there will at length remain one giant truth, which 
will aid in building up the city of God. 



Two Armies, and Sweet Home. — In Spottsylvania, Virginia in 1863, 
two armies were encamped on the opposite banks of the Rappahanock, 
and towards night the bands played. By common consent the picket 
firing ceased. The northern band played the Star Spangled Banner, and 



A. ». 50. 
ANTIOCH. 
Return 
of the 
Delegation 

from 
Jerusalem. 



320 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XV : 3 3-4 1 



33. Aud after they had tarried there a space, they were let go iD peace from the 
brethren unto the apostles. 

34. Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still. 

35. Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the 
word of the Lord, with many others also. 

3rt. T[ And some days after, Paul, said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit 
our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see 
how they do. 

37. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was 
Mark. 

38. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them 
from PamphyTia and went not with them to the work. 

39. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder 
one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cy'prus; 

40. And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto 
the grace of God. 

41. And he went through Syr'Ia and Cilicia, confirming the churches. 



Hail Columbia, and the northern army cheered. Then the southern band 
played Dixie, and Bonny Blue Flag, or My Maryland, and the southern 
troops cheered. At last one band struck up Home Sweet Home, then 
the other joined with them, and both played together, while all the 
troops, north and south cheered in unison. So all divisions of the church 
when they hear the music of their heavenly home, and feel the power 
of one Lord, one hope, one work, leave their differences, and join in 
the one anthem of the redeemed, "Blessing and honor and glory and 
power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the lamb for 
ever and ever." 

39. The Contention Was so Sharp, IveWo irapo|vo-|x6s. There was 
a paroxysm (the exact transcript of the Greek word), from irapd, to the 
side of, or intensive, and 6£vs, sharp, something sharp, quick, irritat- 
ing, a spasm of feeling, exasperation. 



39. And the Contention Was so Sharp. — It is not necessarily a 
sign that men are bad because they differ earnestly in opinion and can- 
not work together. A watch wheel, and a steam engine 
wheel may both be absolutely perfect, and yet not work Discordant 
together in the same machine. Yet the watch may, as a Wheels, 
watch, help the steam engine by keeping time for it, show- 
ing its speed and directing its hours of starting. Two tunes may be 
perfect in themselves, and yet be set to different keys, choir and 
orchestra may each be perfect, and yet not work together well when 
singing and playing different tunes. 



XVI33-4 1 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



321 



A. D. 50-51. 

ANTIOCH. 
Separation 
of 

Bar nab us 
and Saul. 
Planning 
for the 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 



How Mutual Misunderstandings Sometimes Arise. 
— 0. W. Holmes, in the Autocrat of the Breakfast 
Table, gives a shrewd illustration of the difficulty any 
two people have in understanding each 
The other. "When John and Thomas, for 
Six in instance, are talking together, it is natural 
Every Two. enough that among the six there should 
be more or less confusion and misappre- 
hension." (Here the auditors were astonished, and 
thought of Falstaff's nine men in buckram grown out 
of two.) " I think I can make it plain that there are 
at least six personalities distinctly to be recognized as taking part in 
that dialogue between John and Thomas : 

f 1. The real John, known only to his Maker. 
m h Tnhn« J a John's ideal John, never the real one and often very unlike him. 
j.nree donns. i 3 Thomas's ideal John, never the real John, nor John's John, but 
{ often very unlike either. 
( 1. The real Thomas 
Three Thomases.^ 2, Thomas's ideal Thomas. 

( 3. John's ideal Thomas. 

Only one of the three Johns is taxed ; only one can be weighed on a 
platform balance, but the other two are just as important in the con- 
versation. Let us suppose the real John to be old, dull and ill-looking. 
. . . John conceives himself to be youthful, witty and fascinating, 
and talks from the point of view of this ideal. Thomas, again, believes 
him to be an artful rogue. ... It follows that until a man can be 
found who knows himself as his Maker knows him, or sees himself as 
others see him, there must be at least six persons engaged in every dia- 
logue between two. . . . No wonder two disputants often get angry, 
when there are six of them talking and listening all at the same time." 



The Crystal with Flaws. — Probably there was some sharp feeling 
between Paul and Barnabas, which was human and perhaps a mark of 
imperfection. It is a great comfort to know how much good, yea, 
nearly all the good, in the world has been done by imperfect instru- 
ments. 

One of Sidney Lanier's poems, " The Crystal," shows that all mortals, 
even the greatest lights of literature, have their failings. 

" Full bright ye shine, insuperable stars ; 
Yet if a man look hard upon you, none 
With total luster blazeth ; no, not one 
But hath some heinous freckle of the flesh 
Upon his shining cheek." 
So a diamond or ruby, even with a flaw, is still a precious jewel, 
though not so precious as we desire. 
21 



322 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XV : 33-41 



Imperfect Instruments. — Mrs. Gatty, in her Parables from Nature, 
gives a beautiful illustration of God's use, and our use, of imperfect 
instruments in doing His work — imperfect apostles, imperfect churches, 
imperfect Christians, and yet really good work is done. 
She relates the story of a young minister, who insisted that Good Music 
everything must be squared according to his ideas of perfect from 
right. On one occasion he undertook to tune the church Imperfectly- 
organ in an emergency. He took the scale of notes used, tuned 
and tuned the organ perfectly according to it. Then he Organ, 
struck the notes of Hayden's Mass in five flats, and was 
astonished at the terrible discords he made. An organ-tuner explained 
afterwards to him that his scale was right, his system was right, but if 
you stick too close to it. it sets you wrong. Most fifths must be left flat, 
some few made sharp, the octaves alone tuned in unison, because the 
organ is an imperfect instrument. But by making proper allowance 
for this imperfection, wonderful and harmonious music may be pro- 
duced by it. 

Reference. — "Good work from imperfect people." See several 
illustrations under vi. 1. 



' ' Their own defects, invisible to them, 
Seen in another, they at once condemn, 
And though self -idolized in every case, 
Hate their own likeness in a brother's face. — Coicper. 



Imperfect Compass. — It does not make the invention of the com- 
pass nor the skill of those who have made it the perfect instrument it is 
to-day seem greater to maintain that no man could cross the ocean 
without a corrected compass,, because the deflection of the needle in 
mid- ocean would surely lead him from his course. A corrected com- 
pass is the best kind to have, but Columbus crossed the ocean with an 
extremely errant one, and Lief Ericsson with none at all. 



Imperfect Men. — "Man has been strangely disappointed in his 
search for the ideal man. Every hero has been vulnerable at some 
point ; every saint has failed in one direction at least. The very 
strength with which character has developed in one or more directions 
has left some of the branches unnourished and stunted, and the sym- 
metry of a perfect character has been lost. The purest block of 
marble has a stain, the whitest lily-petal a freckle, a Moses his Meri- 
bah, a Noah his drunken sleep, a David his Bathsheba. But there is no 
excess or defect, nothing unsymmetrical or inharmonious, in the man 



XV:33-4 J THE A CTS OF THE APOSTLES 



323 



Christ Jesus. His meekness is redeemed from weak- •%> 

ness by his scathing words of justly merited indigna- 
tion to the Pharisees and scribes ; his gentleness by 
his undaunted bearing before Caiaphas and Pilate. 
This fact, which raises Jesus infinitely beyond all 
other men, even those that had the benefit of his 
example and teaching, is a significant and conclusive 
evidence of his being more than man. Had he been only man, he could 
not have been such a man." — F. B. Meyer, D. D. 



Measuring Values by Weeds Instead of Fruits. — One of the 
worst uses to be made of the imperfections of good men is to measure 
them by their imperfections. It is like valuing gardens by their weeds, 
and fruit trees by their worm-eaten fruit. By that method of measuring 
Sahara is better than the choicest garden in the world, for it has fewer 
weeds ; and a dead tree is better than the most fruitful tree in the 
orchard, for it has no poor fruit. Not by their weeds alone, but by 
their fruits ye shall know them. 



It is equally evil to compare ourselves with others, by reckoning only 
faults ; we do not get angry as Luther did ; we have not 
the hard theology of Calvin ; we do not keep Sunday as Comparing 
sternly as the Puritans ; we have not denied Christ like Ourselves 
Peter ; we never got drunk like Noah, and so on through With Others 
the list ; therefore, we are better than they ! or we have by Counting 
the same faults as good and great men, therefore, we are Faults, 
as good and great as they ! 



Like Cliffs Rent Asunder. — Coleridge tells of the two who had 
been friends in youth, but 

" They parted — ne'er to meet again ! 
But never either found another 
To free the hollow heart from paining — 
They stood aloof, the scars remaining ; 
Like cliffs which had been rent asunder ; 
A dreary sea now flows between. 
But neither heat nor frost nor thunder, 
Shall wholly do away, I ween, 
The marks of that which once hath been. 



A. D. 51 . 

ANTIOCH. 
Separation 
of 

Paul and 
Barnabns. 



" Alas, how light a cause may move 
Dissension between hearts that love 1 



3^4 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XV : 33-41 



Hearts that the world in vain had tried, 
And sorrow, but more closely tied ; 
That stood the storm when waves were rough, 
Yet in a sunny hour fall off, 

Like ships that have gone down at sea 

"When heaven was all tranquillity." — S. T. Coleridge. 



The Broken Vase. — ' 4 Landor compares friendship to a vase which 
when it is flawed by heat, or violence or accident, may as well be 
broken at once, for it never can be trusted after. ' The more graceful . 
and ornamental it was, the more clearly do we discern the hopeless- 
ness of restoring it to its former state. Coarse stones, if they are 
fractured, may be cemented again ; precious ones never.' A parallel 
passage occurs between Vittoria Colonna and Michael Angelo, where 
the latter says that we may make a large hole in a brick wall, and 
easily fill it up, while the slightest flaw in a ruby or chrysolite is irre- 
parable." — Jacox, Secular Annotations. 



The Broken Bone Re-United. — On the other hand, the metaphors 
are not all on this side, nor are the facts. 

" Friendship, like a severed bone, 
Improves and joins a stronger tone 
When aptly re-united." — Cowper. 

So too the strongest boards are made of separate thin veneers glued 
together. A piano top is always sawed apart and glued together again, 
to keep it from warping. 

Library. — Jacox Secular Annotations, vol. 2, p. 152. 

Thackeray's Virginians, where George Warrington lets fall a choice 
cup, and in his fever dreams afterwards exclaims " Broken, broken; 
never, never can be mended." 



XVI: 1-3 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



325 



CHAPTER XVI. 



1. Then came he to Der'be and Lys'tra: and, behold, a certain 
disciple was there, named Timo'theus, the son of a certain 
woman, which was a Jewess, and believed ; but his father was 
a Greek ; 

2. Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at 
Lys'tra and Ico'nium. 

3. Him would Paul have to go forth with him ; and took and 
circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those 
quarters : for they knew all that his father was a Greek. 



Verse 1. A certain disciple named Timotheus brought up in the pious 
family of his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. 



Family Religion Among the Jews. — " Family religion, the deepest 
root of public religious life. I got much light on this subject some years 
ago in a conversation with a casual traveling companion, an accom- 
plished and courteous gentleman, whom I discovered, by and by, to be 
a Hebrew. I stated to him the paradox which puzzles us all, — the con- 
trast between the amazing religious constancy of the Jewish people, 
illustrated alike through storms of persecution and through ages of 
worrying annoyance, — and the appearance of prevailing indifference, 
inattention, heartlessness, visible almost anywhere in their public wor- 
ship. He answered, in substance, ' I do not wonder at the perplexity of 
any man, over this question, who knows Judaism only through its pub- 
lic services. No man can understand the hold that our religion has over 
all who are born in it, who does not know the hundred household cus- 
toms that are identified with it in the life of every family. From the 
days of Abraham, ours has been a family religion, and its chief rites are 
family rites. Even the Passover was not more a national feast than it 
was a family feast.'" — Rev. Leonard W. Bacon. 



Ruskin on Youth. — c ' The human soul in youth is not a machine of 
which you can polish the cogs with any kelp or brick-dust near at hand, 
and, having got it into working order, and good, empty, and oiled ser- 
viceableness, start your immortal locomotive at twenty five years old 
or thirty, express from the Strait Gate on the Narrow Road. The whole 
period of youth is one essentially of formation, edification, instruction 



* * 

A. D. 51. 

ASIA MINOR. 

Second 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Paul, Silas 

and 
Timothy. 

CLAUDIUS, 
EMP. OF ROME. 



326 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI : 4-7 



4. And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to 
keep, that were ordaiued of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. 

5. And so were the churches established iu the faith, and increased in number 
daily. 

6. Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and 
were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 

7. After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the 
Spirit suffered them not. 



(I use the words with their weight in them), in taking of stores, estab- 
lishment in vital habits, hopes and faiths. There is not an hour of it 
but is trembling with destinies ; not a moment of which, once past, the 
appointed work can ever be done again, or the neglected work struck on 
the cold iron. " — Buskin. 



2. Well Reported of. — " Caesar's wife must be above suspicion." 



3. Paul Circumcised Him. — A right use of those dangerous mottoes, 
" When in Rome, do as the Romans do ; " " All things to all men." 



5. Established. — eo-T€p€ovvTo, from o-Tepcos, firm, solid like a rock, or 
like the solid front of an army or phalanx closely compacted together. 



It is a process something like that which goes on in the tender shoots 
of vines and other plants in the autumn, when they change into hard 
wood capable of enduring the winter's cold. 



Dr. Wm. Taylor once said that he always took a double-barreled gun 
into his pulpit ; one for leading sinners to Christ, and the 
other for confirming Christians, and that he always fired Confirming 
both barrels. Every teacher has this double work to do, the 
and it is as important that disciples should be confirmed as Churches, 
that sinners should be converted. 



Library. — The region of Galatia and the route of Paul is explained 
on a different plan from that usually adopted, in Prof. Ramsay's Paul 
the Traveller. 



6, 7. Forbidden — Suffered Them Not. 

"In the light of eternity we shall see that what we desired would 
have been fatal to us, and that what we would have avoided was 
essential to our well-being." — Fenelon. 



XVI : 4-7 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



327 



Library. — Bushnell's Sermons for the Neio Life, 
" Every man's life a plan of God." 



I know not where I am going, 
But well do I know my guide. " 



The Epistle to the Galatians was written at 
Corinth, six or seven years after this visit (A. D. 58). 
He had paid them a second visit in A. D. 55. 



A. D. 51,52. 
ASIA MINOR. 

Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Paul, Silas 

and 
Timothy. 



Sailing Into Unknown Seas. — " Like Columbus, we are sailing into 
an unknown sea, there are difficulties and obstacles to surmount ; we 
are leaving the old order of things behind, and going forth to the new. 
But we have a sure compass, and with the eye of faith see land ahead. 
We know a Plymouth Rock awaits our Pilgrim feet, and a new world of 
larger opportunities and greater usefulness. Let us, like the great dis- 
coverer, disdaining difficulties, push strongly and hopefully forward." 

" Behind him lay the grey Azores ; behind the Gates of Hercules ; 
Before him only ghosts of shores ; before him only shoreless seas. 
The good mate asked : ' What shall I say, if we sight naught but 

seas at dawn ? ' 
Why you shall say, at break of day, 

' Sail on, sail on, sail on and on ! '" 



6-8. Library. — Ramsay's Historical Geography of Asia Minor shows 
the road systems at various periods and we see that a great Roman road 
followed the very route which St. Paul took. 



7. The Spirit Suffered Them Not. — " Many a time in history has 
supernatural restraint and constraint changed the course of God's serv- 
ants. Livingstone assayed to go into China, but God suffered him not, 
and sent him to Africa to be its missionary general, statesman, explorer. 
Before him, Carey planned to go to the Great Polynesia in 
the South Seas, but God guided him to India to lay founda- Examples 
tions for giving a vernacular Bible to one-sixth of the people of the 
of the world. Judson did go to India, but was driven to Guidance 
Burmah, where he built up an apostolic church for all the of the Spirit, 
age. Barnabas Shaw was thrust out from Boerland, and 
trusted to God's guidance of his kine and cart, not knowing whither he 
went, until the twenty-eighth day brought to him the chief of Nama- 
qualand, his ' man of Macedonia,' who literally said, ' Come over and 
help us.'" — Rev. Arthur Pierson, D. D. 



3 28 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI : 8-IO 



8. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. 

9. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, 
and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 

10. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into 
Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel 
unto them. 



10. Assuredly Gathering. — <n>u,pipd£ovT€s, bringing, or putting 
together, as for comparison ; hence, to examine, as evidence, to infer 
to conclude. 



They Came Down to Troas — " That is, to Troy, a modern city bear- 
ing the name, and marking the region, if not the site, of Priam's Troy, 
the City of the Iliad, the blind singer's deathless song. Such places 
are fountains of inspiration in themselves. Hill and grove, stream and 
plain, are vocal with great memories ; and the soul that is 
worthy of such a scene hears, as Augustine heard, voices in The Troy 
the air saying, ' Let us, too, conquer something.' Xerxes, of Homer. 
Alexander of Macedon, Julius Caesar, and many more came 
to this famed region, and each one saw and heard according to the 
spirit that was in him visions of battles. But the man who had now 
come to Troy had brought with him another spirit and an eye capable 
of nobler visions." — Rev. J. M. Gibbon. 



Troas "was a very fitting place in which this vision should appear. 
Of old time, and in days of classic fable, Troas had been the meeting 
place where, as Virgil and Homer tell, Europe and Asia had met in 
stern conflict, and where Europe, as represented by Greece, had come 
off victorious, bringing home the spoils which human nature counted 
most glorious. Europe and Asia again meet at Troas, but no longer in 
carnal conflict, and Europe again carries off from the same spot spoil 
more precious far than Grecian poet ever dreamed of." — Prof. Stokes. 



Come Over and Help Us. — ' ' The form of the vision is striking. It 
does not come in the shape of a command from Christ, but in that of a 
petition from man. That figure embodies the unconscious cry of weary 
humanity." 

Reference. — Paul visions. See on 2:17. The prophecy of Joel 
about visions and dreams. 



Picture. — Dore's Vale of Tears, where Christ stands in light at the 
head of the valley, and people with every disease of body or soul are 
coming to him and are healed. 



XVI 



13 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



329 



11. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight 
course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; 

12. And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of 
that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that 
city abiding certain days. 

13. And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river 
side, where prayer was wont to be made ; and we sat down, and 
spake unto the women which resorted thither. 

Library. — The summoning of the Highland clans 
by means of the fiery cross in Scott's Marmion : — 

' When flits this cross from man to man, 
Vich Alpine's summons to his clan, 
Burst be the ear that fails to heed ! 
Palsied the foot that shuns to speed ! " 



A. D. 52. 

PHILIPPI. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Beginning 
of tlie 
First 
Churcli in 
Europe. 



10. Macedonia. — " The founding of this kingdom 'is presented no 
less than four times in the inspired visions of Daniel.' Of all the great 
revolutionary epochs in ancient history, none is comparable to this for 
its influence on the destinies of man, save the political 
supremacy which it remained for Rome to establish. It The New 
brought the whole Eastern world under the bond of a com- Departure, 
mon culture and a common language, both of them the 
noblest and most refined, and supplied in that common bond an instru- 
ment for the diffusion of the true religion." — Prof. Philip Smith, in the 
Sunday School Times. 



"No conqueror, with his ship in flames behind him, and a continent 
in arms in front, ever dared more nobly than did Paul. Yet he beat. 
His Quixotic attempt turned out do-able. What forces had he at his 
command? What smooth stones had this David in his leathern scrip? 
None but such as we may have for the picking up." — McLaren. 



We note the change in the personal pronouns, which shows that the 
writer, Luke, here joined the company of Paul, 



13. Where Prayer was wont to be Made. "Where we supposed 
was a place of prayer, irpoo-evxTi, from, irpos, to, and €vxop.ai, to pray ; a 
place for praying to God. 



330 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI:II-I3 



11, 12. Troas to Phiuppi. — " An English ship stopped at Pitcairn's 
Island to find a Christian colony of churches, schools, and homes in the 
midst of surrounding cannibalism. Why this oasis of light 
in the desert ? Sixty years before a ship was lost, and a Pitcairn's 
sailor went to his trunk, and took a Bible placed there by Island, 
his mother, and swam ashore, holding it in his teeth. The 
world's history has no more brilliant page than that which tells of the 
Christianization of a tribe by that one book." — Talmage. 



Library. — Lewin, and Conybeare and Howson, in their Lives of St. 
Paul, give interesting descriptions of this voyage. Suetonius {Augus- 
tus 49), and Gibbon in the second chapter of his History, describe the 
postal system and routes of the Roman empire. 



Philippi. — " The adjacent plain is memorable in Roman history as 
the place where the battle was fought between the republicans under 
Brutus, and the followers of Antony and Augustus 94 years before 
this." — Hackett. 



Library. — Compare Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Act iv. scene 3, 
and Act v., Brutus' vision of Caesar's ghost ; the battle of Philippi and 
the death of Brutus. 



The Epistle to the Philippians was written to the church now 
founded in this city, by Paul when in prison at Rome (A. D. 62) 
about ten years after-this his first visit to them. 



13. Prayer was Wont to be Made : — 

" For what are men better than sheep or goats 
That nourish a blind life within the brain, 
If, knowing God, .they lift not hands of prayer, 
Both for themselves and those who call them friends ? 
For so the whole round world is every way 
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God." — Tennyson. 



"Prayer is the key that opens heaven, and faith is the hand that 
turns it." — Watson. 



"Prayer is the culture of the soul 

That turns to wheat our tares. 
Prayer is a begging angel whom 
We shelter unawares." 



XVI: 14, 15 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 331 



14 If And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, 
of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: 
whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the 
things which were spoken of Paul. 

15. And when she was baptized, and her household, she 
besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to 
the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she 
coustrained us. 

' * * 

" All skirts extended of thy mantle hold. 
When angel hands from heaven are scattering gold." 

— Oriental, Trans, by Arbp. R. G. Trench. 



Library. — Andrew Murray's With Christ in the School of Prayer. 
(Randolph). 



14. Lydia, the first convert, and beginning of the Christian work in 
Europe. Compare the growth of woman's work in the Church, — the 
Women's Boards of Missions, the Women's Christian Temperance 
Unions, etc. 

Reference. — See several illustrations of woman's work, under 1 : 14. 



Whose Heart the Lord Opened. — " It was opened like the gates of a 
canal-lock. It is by water coming in secretly below, and gradually 
swelling up within, that at length the folding doors allow themselves 
to be opened ; as long as the water presses from above and without, the 
pressure tends to shut the gates more firmly, rather than to open them. 
The lock keeps itself empty, and resists the offer of the 
water to come in. But when by secret channels the interior Canal Locks, 
is nearly filled, then the resistance ceases, and the gates are 
thrown wide open. Ah, many an empty heart resists the offer of mercy 
from God ; the offer of that mercy rather shuts the gate more firmly ! 
But when, secretly, some grace finds its way in and more follows, and 
the empty space gradually fills, then the enmity disappears, and the 
whole soul opens out to Christ." — W. Arnot, D. D. 



15. Constrained us, Trap€[3ido-aTo, " Contrary to (irapd) their apparent 
intention," she used (moral) force (Pid£«) the word used by Jesus when 
he said the kingdom of heaven is taken by violence, as it were, 
carried by storm. 



A. ». 52. 

PHILIPPI. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
L.ydia, 
the first 
Christian 
Convert in 
Europe. 



332 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI:l6-l8 



16. IF And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with 
a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying : 

17. The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants 
of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 

18. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to 
the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And 
he came out the same hour. 



16. Spirit of Divination, -irvcvua HvQuva. Lit., a spirit, a Python. 
Python, in the Greek mythology, was the serpent which guarded 
Delphi. According to the legend, as related in the Homeric hymn, 
Apollo descended from Olympus in order to select a site for his shrine 
and oracle. Having fixed upon a spot on the southern side of Mount 
Parnassus, he found it guarded by a vast and terrific serpent, which he 
slew with an arrow, and suffered its body to rot (n-vSelv) in the sun. 
Hence the name of the serpent Python (rotting) ; Pytho, the name of 
the place, and the epithet Pythian, applied to Apollo. The 
name Python was subsequently used to denote a prophetic The 
demon, and was also used of soothsayers who practised Pythoness. 
ventriloquism, or speaking from the belly. The word 
!yyao-Tpi|Av9o$, ventriloquist, occurs in the Septuagint, and is rendered 
having a familiar spirit (see Levit xix. 31 ; xx. 6, 27 ; 1 Sam. xxviii. 7, 
8). The heathen inhabitants of Philippi regarded the woman as inspired 
by Apollo ; and Luke, in recording this case, which came under his 
own observation, uses the term which would naturally suggest itself to 
a Greek physician, a Python-spirit, presenting phenomena identical 
with the convulsive movements and wild cries of the Pythian priestess 
at Delphi." — Prof. M. R. Vincent" s Word Studies. 



Soothsaying (jiavT€vop.evT]). Allied to p.av(a, madness, frenzy, from the 
ravings and frenzy of the priestesses when under the supposed 
influence of the god, and about to give answers to those who applied to 
the oracle. 



16. Damsel Possessed With a Spirit op Divination. — Virgil's 
Cuiylean Sybyl, Deiph'obe proceeds to the seat of augury, and 
goes through the terrible struggle which, according to all legends, 
invariably accompanied this form of prophecy. Even when she comes 
in view of the awful doors, the influence begins : — 

" Her visage pales its hue, 
Her locks disheveled fly, 
Her breath comes thick, her wild heart glows ; 
Dilating as the madness grows, 



XVI: l6-l8 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



333 



Her form looks larger to the eye, 
Unearthly peals her deep-toned cry, 
As breathing nearer and more near 
The God comes rushing on his seer." 
The paroxysms increase after she has entered the 
cave and is in the agonies of inspiration : — 
" The seer, impatient of control, 
Eaves in the cavern vast, 
And madly struggles from her soul 

The incumbent power to cast. 
He, mighty Master, plies the more 
Her foaming mouth, all chafed and sore, 
Tames her wild heart with plastic hand, 
And makes her docile to command." 
At last all the hundred doors fly open at once, and the voice of 
destiny comes forth. — jflneid. Translation in Ancient Classics for 
English Readers. 



Virgil's Cum^an Sibyl. 
" 'Now to the mouth they come,' aloud she cries, 
' This is the time, enquire your destinies. 
He comes — behold the God ! ' Thus while she said, 
(And shivering at the sacred entry, staid) 
Her color changed, her face was not the same, 
Her hair stood up, convulsive rage possessed 
Her trembling limbs, and heaved her laboring breast. 
Greater than human kind she seemed to look, 
And with an accent more than mortal spoke ; 
Her staring eyes with sparkling fury roll, 
When all the god came rushing on her soul. 
Swiftly she turned, and foaming'as she spoke, 
* Why this delay ? ' she cried, 4 the powers invoke ; 
Thy prayers alone can open this abode, 
Else vain are my demands, and dumb the god.' 

" Struggling in vain, impatient of her load, 
And laboring underneath the ponderous god, 
The more she strove to shake him from her breast, 
With more and far superior force he pressed, 
Commands his entrance, and, without control, 
Usurps her organs and inspires her soul. 

" Thus from the dark recess the Sibyl spoke, 
And the resisting air the thunder broke, 



* ►£ 

A. JD. 52. 

PHILIPPI. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 

Damsel 
Possessed. 

with 
Spirit of 
Divination. 

CLAUDIUS, 
EMP. ROME. 



334 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI : 1 6-1 8 



The cave rebellowed and the temple shook ; 
The ambiguous god who ruled her laboring breast 
In these mysterious words his mind expressed, 
Some truths revealed, in terms involved the rest. 
At length her fury fell ; her foaming ceased, 
And, ebbing in her soul, the god decreased." 

JEneid ; Book VI. — Dryden's Translation. 



Library. — Reports of the Society of Psychical Research, by Prof. 
James, Harvard University. 



Library. — Dr. Nevius in his Demon Possession and Allied Themes 
(1895) gives some very intersting testimony from his 40 years' observa- 
tion in China. He relates the case of a female slave possessed of a 
spirit, who was highly prized by her master as a means of gain. 
Others spoke in two, three, four, and even six separate voices speaking 
in character, or displayed knowledge which the normal person did not 
possess. 



17. The Same Followed Paul. 

" Oh ! the snow, the beautiful snow, 
Filling the sky and the earth below; 
Over the house-tops, over the street, 
Over the heads of the people you meet ; 
Dancing, 

Flirting, 

Skimming along, 
Beautiful snow ! it can do nothing wrong. 
Flying to kiss a fair lady's cheek ; 
Clinging to lips in a frolicsome freak. 
Beautiful snow, from the heavens above, 
Pure as an angel and fickle as love ! 

Oh ! the snow, the beautiful snow ! 
How the flakes gather and laugh as they go ! 
Whirling about in its maddening fun, 
It plays in its glee with every one. 
Chasing, 

Laughing, 

Hurrying by, 
It lights up the face and it sparkles the eye ; 
And even the dogs, with a bark, and a bound, 



XVI: l6-l8 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



335 



Snap at the crystals that eddy around. 
The town is alive, and its heart in a glow 
To welcome the coming of beautiful snow. 
How the wild crowd goes swaying along, 
Hailing each other with humor and song ! 
How the gay sledges like meteors flash by — 
Bright for a moment, then lost to the eye. 
Ringing, 

Swinging, 

Dashing they go, 
Over the crest of the beautiful snow ; 
Snow so pure when it falls from the sky, 
To be trampled in mud by the crowd rushing by ; 
To be trampled and tracked by the thousands of feet 
Till it blends with the horrible filth in the street. 



A. D. 52. 

PHILIPPI. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 

Damsel 
Possessed 

with 
Spirit of 
Divination. 

CLAUDIUS, 
EMP. ROME. 



Once I was pure as the snow — but I fell : 
Fell, like the snowflake, from heaven — to hell ; 
Fell, to be trampled, like the filth of the street ; 
Fell, to be scoffed, derided and beat. 
Pleading, 

Cursing, 

Dreading to die, 
Selling my soul to whomever would buy, 
Dealing in shame for a morsel of bread, • 
Hating the living and fearing the dead. 
Merciful God have I fallen so low ? 
And yet I was once like this beautiful snow. 

Once I was fair as the beautiful snow, 
With an eye like its crystals, a heart like its glow. 
Once I was loved for my innocent grace — 
Flattered and sought for the charm of my face. 
Father, 

Mother, 

Sister, all, 
God and myself, I have lost by my fall, 
The veriest wretch that goes shivering by 
Will take a wide sweep lest I venture too nigh, 
For of all that is o'er or about me, I know 
There is nothing that's pure but the beautiful snow. 

How strange it should be that this beautiful snow 
Should fall on a sinner with nowhere to go t 



336 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI : l6-l8 



How strange it would be, when the night comes again, 
If the snow and the ice struck my desperate brain ! 
Fainting, 

Freezing, 

Dying alone, 
Too wicked for prayer, too weak for my moan 
To be heard in the crash of the crazy town, 
Gone mad in its joy at the snow's coming down ; 
To lie, and to die, in my terrible woe, 
With a bed and a shroud of the beautiful snow. 

Helpless and foul as the trampled snow, 
Sinner, despair not ! Christ stoopeth low 
To rescue the soul that is lost in its sin 
And raise it to life and enjoyment again. 
Groaning, 

Bleeding, 

Dying for thee, 
The crucified hung on the accursed tree ! 
His accents of mercy fall soft on thine ear. 
Is there mercy for me? Will He heed my weak prayer? 
O God, in the stream that for sinners did flow, 
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snovy." — I. W. Watson. 



18. In the Name of Jesus Christ, come out of her. — " In the days 
of knightly chivalry it was supposed to be enough for the true soldier of 
the Cross to make the sacred sign upon his person, and 
instantly the foul spirits that had gathered in the murky Sign of 
gloom to do him harm, fell back and let him through. It the Cross, 
was not all legend and myth. The truth is ours to day — 
that the best resource for the hardly -beset soldier of Jesus is to appeal 
not to the Cross, but to Him who, on that Cross, bruised the serpent's 
head, not for Himself only, but for us." — F. B. Meyer. 



Farrar quotes "the interesting fact that the priest of Obo, in the 
Society Islands, found himself unable to reproduce his former convulsive 
ecstacies of supposed inspiration after his conversion to Christianity." 



Christianity and Demoniacs. — Dr. Nevius says, * ' Both Roman 
Catholic and Protestant missionaries are in possession of a thousand 
instances in which, after all other efforts are found unavailing, a prayer 
offered by a Christian, native or foreign, has driven away the demon 
and restored the demoniac to a sound mind, praising God." He men- 



XVI: 19-24 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



337 



19. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains 
was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the 
marketplace unto the rulers, 

'2.0. And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These 
men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, 

21. And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to 
receive, neither to observe, being Romans. 

22. And the multitude rose up together against them ; and 
the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat 
them. 

25. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they 
cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely : 

24. Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and 
made their feet fast in the stocks. 



tions a number of cases. One is as follows : " What does the demon 
say," I asked. He replied, " If you believe in and worship Jesus, this is 
no place for me ; I must leave." I said to it, " I was not aware that I 
was interfering with you or your interests. I believe in Christianity. 
I do not want to give up Christianity." The demon replied, " It maybe 
good for you, but it is very bad for us." — Rev. John Nevius, D. D. 

20. Exceedingly Trouble, €KTapd<ro-ovo-iv, from Ik, intensive, utterly, 
entirely, and rapdo-crw, to agitate as the sea, to throw into confusion or 
anarchy as an army or fleet, to trouble, disturb. 

22. To beat them, pa(38i^€iv, from pd|38os, a rod, to beat ivith rods. 

24. In Prison. — "On the night before her execution Mary Queen of 
Scots composed a short prayer, and sang it over by herself because she 
could not sleep. The words are very musical in the Latin which she used : 

' O domine Deus! speravi in te! 
O care mi Jesu! nunc libera me! 
In dura catena — in misera poena — 
Desidero te ! 
Languendo, gemendo, et genu flectendo, 
Adoro, imploro, ut liberes me ! ' 

O Lord God Almighty, my hope is in thee ! 

0 Jesus, beloved, now liberate me ! 

In durance the drearest, in bonds the severest — 
My desire is to thee ! 
In sighing and crying, on bended knees lying, 

1 adore, — I implore, thou wouldst liberate me ! ' " 

— C. S. Robinson. 



A. D. 52. 

PHILIPPI. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Paul and 

Silas 
Scourged 
and thrust 
into 
Prison. 



333 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI : 25, 26 



25. And at midnight Paul and Si'las prayed, and sang praises unto God : and 
the prisoners heard them. 

26. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the 
prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's 
bands were loosed. 



Library. — John Henry Newman in his Calista describes the 
Roman prisons. 

One of the stocks, such as is referred to here was dug up at Pompeii. 



" It is when you look from the bottom of a well that you descry the 
stars in daylight; on the surface, with the glare all around, although 
they are there you cannot discern them. It is thus that Faith's eye 
cannot pierce the heavens so well from the bright surface of prosperity 
as from the low, low place of some great sorrow." — Arnot. 



" As if a man should throw precious stones and rich jewels at 
another, with intent to kill him, and the other should gather them up 
and enrich himself with them ; even so do persecutors enrich the 
children of God, that they rejoice being counted worthy to suffer for 
Christ's sake." — Cawdray. 



" In that hour when night is calmest 
Sang they from the Hebrew Psalmist." 



Madam Guyon's Prison Song. — " The other clay, when the wind was 
furiously swaying the trees, when the heavy hailstones rattled against 
the window-panes, and the darkened skies poured down the rain in 
torrents amid lightning flashes, until our hearts were quaking with 
fear, a beautiful little bird sat upon one of our sheltered rose-bushes 
and sang its clear and beautiful notes, as though it knew God would 
not suffer the storm to hurt it. 

When Madame Guyon was imprisoned in the Castle of Vincennes, in 
1695, she not only sang, but wrote songs of praise to her God. ' It 
sometimes seemed to me,' she said, ' as if I were a little bird whom 
the Lord had placed in a cage, and that I had nothing now to do but 
to sing. The joy of my heart gave a brightness to the objects around 
me. The stones of my prison looked in my eyes like rubies. I esteemed 
them more than all the gaudy brilliancies of a vain world. My heart 
was full of that joy which Thou givest to them that love Thee in the 
midst of their greatest crosses' — a sentiment which she embodied, 
during one of her imprisonments, in the touching little poem : 



XVI : 25, 26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



339 



A. D. 52. 

PRISON AT 
PHILIPPI. 

Paul and 

Silas Sing 
Praises in 
the Night. 
Earth- 
quake. 



" A little bird I am, 

Shut from the fields of air ; 
And in my songs I sit and sing 

To Him who placed me there: 
Well pleased a prisoner to be, 

Because, my God, it pleaseth Thee. 

" Nought have I else to do 

I sing the whole day long, 
And He, whom most I love to please 

Doth listen to my song ; 
He caught and bound my wandering wing, 
But still he bends to hear me sing, 

" My cage confines me round ; 

Abroad I cannot fly ; 
But, though my wing is closely bound, 

My heart's at liberty. 
My prison walls cannot control 
The flight, the freedom of the soul. 

" Oh ! it is good to soar 

These bolts and bars above 
To Him whose purpose I adore, 

Whose providence I love ; 
And in Thy mighty will I find, 
The joy, the freedom of the mind." 

— Madame Guyon, Trans, by Tlios. C. Upham. 
Reference — Peter in Prison, Ch. 12 : 5 :6. 



"The nightingale singeth most sweetly because she singeth in the night. 
If she sang by day she might be thought to sing no more sweetly than 
the wren. A Christian's song in trouble is specially sweet. " — Spurgeon. 

Reference. — " Our lives are songs," under 2 :46. 



Paul in Prison Contrasted With Ovid, Cicero and Dante. — Far- 
rar, in his Messages of the Books, pp. 803-306, contrasts Paul's rejoicing 
in prison, with great and world-known men in far less painful circum- 
stances. Ovid, poet and philosopher, wealthy and admired, was sent 
for a time into exile, and " there is scarcely one of his many letters 
which he wrote during that short exile which is not full of unmanly 
lamentations." Seneca, a contemporary of Paul, of immense wealth, of 
great reputation, the author of books full of the most sounding pro- 
fessions of stoic superiority to passion and pain, when exiled, broke 



34Q 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI : 2$, 26 



into abject complaints. So Cicero, Dante, Bolingbroke= The courage- 
ous demeanor of Paul calls to mind the runner who, at the supreme 
moment of Grecian history, brought to Athens the news of Marathon. 
Worn, panting, exhausted with the effort to be the herald of deliver- 
ance, he sank in death on the threshold of the first house which he 
reached with the tidings of victory, and sighed forth his gallant soul in 
one great sob almost in the very same words as those used by the apos- 
tle, xo-tpeTc, xo-tpo^v, " Rejoice ye, we too rejoice. 1 ' 

Mysterious Night. 
" Mysterious Night ! When our first parent knew 
Thee by report divine, and heard thy name, 
Did he not tremble for this goodly frame, 
This glorious canopy of light and blue? 
Yet, 'neath a curtain of translucent hue 

Bathed in the rays of the great settling flame, 
Hesperus, with the host of heaven came ; 
And, lo ! creation widened in man's view. 
Who could have thought such darkness lay concealed 

Within thy beams, O Sun? Or who could find, 
Whilst fly and leaf and insect stood revealed, 

That to such countless orbs thou mad'st us blind ? 
. Why do we then shun death with anxious strife ? 
If light can thus deceive, wherefor not life?" 

— Blanco White. 

Library. — Longfellow's Hyperion, where he compares the setting 
of a great hope to the setting of the sun, through which, after a time, 
are revealed bright worlds in the sky forever unseen by day. 

The Secret of the Sea. 
" Ah ! what pleasant visions haunt me 
As I gaze upon the sea ! 
All the old romantic legends, 
All my dreams come back to me. 

Most of all, the Spanish ballad 

Haunts me oft, and tarries long, 
Of the noble Count Arnaldos 

And the sailor's mystic song ; 

Telling how the Count Arnaldos, 

With his hawk upon his hand, 
Saw a fair and stately galley, 

Steering onward to the land, 



XVI: 25, 26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



341 



A. D. 52. 

PRISON AT 
PHILIPPI. 
Paul and 
Silas Sing 
Praises in 
the Night. 
Earth- 
quake. 



How he heard the ancient helmsman 

Chant a song so wild and clear, 
That the sailing sea-bird slowly, 

Poised upon the mast to hear, 

Till his soul was full of longing, 
And he cried, with impulse strong — 
' Helmsman ! for the love of heaven, 
Teach me, too, that wondrous song ! ' 

' Wouldst thou,' — so the helmsman answered, 
Learn the secret of the sea ? 
Only those who brave its dangers 
Comprehend its mystery ! ' " — Longfellow. 

So only those who have been exposed to the storms of the sea of life 
can know the fullness of joy, or the peace which passeth all under- 
standing. 



25. Sang Praises. — " A touching incident is told in Headley's ' Life of 
General Grant ' to this effect. ' As the wounded were borne from the 
field of Shiloh, a fatally wounded captain, after speaking of his suffer- 
ings through the preceding night, said : — I could not help singing that 
beautiful hymn. ' When I can read my title clear.' And there was a 
Christian brother in the bush near me. I could not see him, but I could 
hear him. He took up the strain, and beyond him another and another 
caught it up, all over the terrible battlefield of Shiloh. That night the 
echo was resounding, and w r e made the field of battle ring with hymns 
of praise to God." It is not surprising that this story has touched poetic 
feeling, and found expression in song. The singer is Jessie F. O'Don- 
nell, and her verses are found in Scribner's Magazine. Here are three 
of the stanzas : — 

Through the terror of the stillness, through the anguish of the moans, 
Come the words, half sung, half whispered, in exultant, hopeful tones — 
' When I can read my title clear, 
To mansions in the skies — ' 
Heads are lifted, groans are stifled, wounded men forget their pain, 
E'en the dying wait to listen to that sweet and holy strain : — 
' I'll bid farewell to every fear, 
And wipe my weeping eyes.' 
Dying men smile as they sing it with their last drawn earthly breath, 
And their souls go out in music to the shadowland of death : — 
' Let cares, like a wild deluge come, 
And storms of sorrow fall : 



342 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI : 25, 26 

May I but safely reach my home, 
My God, my heaven, my all ! ' " 

— London Sunday School Chronicle. 



Origin of Thanksgiving Day. — " Dr. Franklin says, that our New 
England Thanksgiving Day had its origin in a time of great depression 
and despondency among the early settlers. They had had days of fasting 
and prayer, and were proposing to hold another, when an old farmer 
arose, and said that after all they were enjoying a great many mercies, 
• and therefore he moved that they appoint a day of thanksgiving instead. 
The Thanksgiving Day was appointed, and there has never been a year 
since when they have not had abundant cause for thanksgiving." 
— Foster, Cyc. 111. 

Rest in the Storm. — An artist painted a picture entitled " Rest " — 
a wild surging cataract, over it the hanging branches of a tree upon 
which a robin was sitting on its nest. Such is the peace of those who 
trust in God. 

These birds could sing in a darkened cage. 

Examples. — Bunyan in Bedford jail, writing the Pilgrim's Progress. 
' ' Daniel could sleep better in the den of lions then Darius in the royal 
palace." Some of David's sweetest songs grew out of his darkest experi- 
ences. 

References. — See under 2: 46, 47 , the joy of the early church ; and 
8: 8, "And there was great joy." 

Library. — Rev. William Butter in his Boston to Bareilly says that 
" it is a historical fact that Christianity is the only religion on earth that 
inspires people to sing as a part of divine worship." " Mohammedanism 
has no hymnal, nor has Hindooism, nor Buddhism. No glorious outburst 
of sacred song from the hearts and lips of these people ever awoke echoes 
in any heathen or Mohammedan temple." 



The Hallelujah Victory. — There is one remarkable victory, some- 
times called the Hallelujah victory, recorded in 2 Chron. 20. It was a 
victory gained through songs of praise. King Jehoshaphat was attacked 
by a large army of Moabites and Ammonites in a valley near Tekoah 
about twelve miles southeast of Jerusalem. All the Jewish army did 
was to stand on a height and sing songs of praise, while the different 
bands of the enemy slew one another. Four days later the returning 
soldiers, who had gathered a rich booty assembled at the head of the 
valley, and again sang praises. Hence the name of that part of the 
valle} 7 was called the valley of Berachah, the valley of blessing. 



XVI : 2/, 28 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 343 



27. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, 
and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and 
would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had 
been fled. 

28. But Paul cried with aloud voice, saying, Do thyself no 
harm : for we are all here. 



A. D. 52. 

PRISON IN 

PHILIPPI. 
Second 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Conversion 

of Jailor. 

* 



And the Prisoners Heard Them. — " The echo of the Word, that 
pierced the gloomy partition walls and sank into the startled ears of 
wretched prisoners. It seemed a roundabout road that the gospel took 
to reach these Gentiles ; but it did not miss its way. There was a dead 
wall between the apostles and their audience, and therefore they did 
not preach that night. But there was no wall between them and the 
Father of their spirits : praying they hymned God, and the prayer sent 
upward fell down again on the other side of the partition, falling there 
on listening ears. In this circuitous method the gospel reached some 
needy souls. It is thus that in modern warfare they often overcome a 
fortress which is too strong to be taken by direct assault The wall 
frowns thick and high between the defenders and the assailants. No 
missile sent in a direct line can touch the protected garrison. The 
besiegers in such a case throw their balls high into the heavens ; these 
fall within the enclosure and do their work. When a good soldier of 
Jesus Christ cannot by direct preaching reach men, he may by prayer 
and praise." — W. Arnot, D. D. 



Darkness Reveals the Light. — " A lamp when lighted may burn 
by day, but it is only at night that it is seen by the neighborhood. 
The darkness does not kindle or cause the light, but the darkness 
reveals it and spreads it around. It is thus that consistent joy in the 
Lord, when believers attain it in a time of trouble, becomes an effective 
testimony for Christ. Not a few owe their conversion instrumentally 
to the light that streamed from a saint in the hour of his departure — 
to the song that rose from the pilgrim when he was traversing the 
valley of the shadow of death. — W. Arnot, D. D. 



26, 28. A Great Earthquake — We are all here. — Some have 
wondered why the prisoners did not escape. Compare the account of 
the terrible Cyclone at St. Louis, May 27 1896, when $25,000,000 worth 
of property was destroyed and 400 lives lost. During this Cyclone " a 
20-foot section of the western wall of the City Jail, was blown down, 
exposing the interior. It was during exercise hours and 200 prisoners 
exercising in the building became panic stricken. They were too 
frightened to try to escape." 



344 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVI 129-3 I 



29. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down 
before Paul and Si'las, 

30. And brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 

31. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, 
and thy house. 



1 ' Jailer Wagner was on the scene in a moment, and with the aid of a 
number of detectives and policemen, the prisoners were placed in their 
cells." 



29. He Came Trembling. — " When John G. Paton, upon his little 
island of Anyeiturn, was almost giving up hope of life, though still 
trying to pacify the bloodthirsty natives, it happened that upon the far 
horizon line a ship's sails were seen and a line of smoke going up into 
the sky. ' The fire steamer comes,' cried the natives in wild terror, 
and ran to hide themselves in the bush. The chief, who had been so 
cruel, came to beg Paton for his life. It seemed like the last judgment 
to these poor ignorant subjects. But what was it to the missionary ? 
To him the connecting link with his own country, the help and strength 
of new life. When the ship came it proved to be one of Her Majesty's 
men-of-war, and the sight of the power of Paton's Queen so struck the 
native imagination that they decided to leave the man who had such 
powerful friends to do his work unharmed. So behind the Christian 
there is the Christian's God, all-powerful, all- willing." — Bib. Illustrator. 



Danger is like a flash of lightning, which reveals many things in the 
soul, unnoticed in the darkness, pictures of the past life, and the true 
relations of the soul to God. 



31. Believe and Thou Shalt be Saved. — Salvation by faith is well 
illustrated by an incident which took place near Paris. While Napo- 
leon I. was reviewing his troops, his horse escaped, but was recovered 
by a common soldier, who brought him back to the emperor. " Much 
obliged to you, captain," said Napoleon. " Of what regiment, sire ? " 
replied the soldier. Napoleon, delighted with his quick perception and 
trust in his word, returned, "Of my guards," and rode away. The 
soldier threw away his gun, and went straight to the officers' quarters, 
just as he was. He was ridiculed for his apparent madness ; he had 
yet all the appearance of a common soldier, but he declared that he 
was a captain, because the emperor had said so. So by faith we accept 
God's promises that we are forgiven, that we are children of God, and 
acting upon that faith as children of God, we live out the truth, and 
God honors our faith. 



XVI : 32-40 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 345 

^ * 

32. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to 
all that were in his house. 

33. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed 
their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 

34. And when he had brought them into his house, he set 
meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his 
house. 

35. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, 
saying, Let those men go. 

36. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have 
sent to let you go: now, therefore, depart, and go in peace. 

37. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being 
Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay 
verily ; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. 

38. And the sergeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, 
when they heard that they were Romans. 

39. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them 
to depart out of the city. 

40. And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia ; and 
when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. 



Library. — Compare the story in the Life of Benjamin Franklin, of 
the way he would cultivate the virtues, without the implanting of a new 
heart by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus. 



35. Sergeants, pa(38ov»xovs, lit., those who hold the rod. The Roman 
lictors. The badge of their office was the fasces, an axe bound up in a 
bundle of rods ; but in the colonies they carried staves. They were the 
attendants of the chief Roman magistrates. — Vincent. 

" Ho, trumpets, sound a war-note ! 
Ho, lictors, clear the way ! 
The knights will ride, in all their pride, 
Along the streets to-day. " 

Macaulay, Lays of Ancient Rome. 

40. Comforted, irapeKaXeo-av, see on ix:31. The noun of this verb is 
" the Comforter" of John, 14-16, as a name for the Holy Spirit. 



A. I>. 52. 

PHILIPPI. 
Second 
missionary 
Journey. 
Paul and 

Silas 
Released. 



34-6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII : I, 2 



CHAPTER XVII. 



1. Now when they had passed through Amphip'olis and 
Ap'ollo'nia, they came to Thessalonf ca, where was a syna- 
gogue of the Jews : 

2. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and 
three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. 

Picture. — Paul preaching to the Thessalonians, by 
Dore. 



1. When they. The change of pronouns shows 
that Luke was left at Philippi. 



A. ». 52. 

THESSA- 
LONICA. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey." 
Mission- 
aries: 
Paul, Silas, 
Timothy. 

CLAUDIUS, EM P. 
ROME. 



2. Reasoned, 8ia\e(;aT0, from Sid, throughout, implying distribution 
and middle voice of Xe-yw, to speak ; thence to speak back and forth, to 
discuss, to argue to converse. Our word "dialogue" comes from the 
corresponding noun. 

2. As His Manner Was. — ' ' There is a great advantage in what has 
been called 1 Clock-work Christianity,' regular hours for prayer, for 
reading the Bible, regular habits of giving and of work, in contrast 
with a spasmodic, impulsive religion. The impulses are absolutely 
necessary, as the spring to the watch, but regular habits aud hours are 
the balance wheel which regulate and give value to the impulsive 
power. Impulse is an excellent thing in its way, and impulsive people 
are certainly attractive when their impulses are kindly and generous ; 
but it must not be forgotten that character is impulse reined down 
into steady continuance, and that the men who form the foundation- 
stones of our social structure are the men who are always, and not 
spasmodically, on time. Daniel the seer is a remarkable example of 
this. The clock-work element in his life was very conspicuous, and 
particularly in his service of God, his enemies themselves 
being judges, — for they made that very fact the basis of Clock-work 
their plot against him. Never before were men of Daniel's Christianity, 
type more sorely needed, — men who, as it has been so 
pithily said, will tick the minutes as distinctly as he, and strike with as 
full a ring when the hour comes round. There is perhaps no teaching 
more sorely needed by the younger disciples of Christ's church to-day 
than the vital importance of rule and regularity in their religion. Dr. 



XVII: I, 2 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



347 



A.B. 52. 

THESSAL- 
ONICA. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Mission- 
aries: 
Paul, Silas, 
Timothy* 

CLAUDIUS, EM P. 
ROME. 



Parkhurst says, 1 a talent for goodness has to be ac- 
quired as much as a talent for trade or sculpture, and 
is reached in either case over a rough road of rules 
and prescriptions. We have to learn to be good as 
well as to be artists in other lines. Goodness is cer- 
tainly an art, and art power, here as elsewhere, is 
preceded by no end of drudgery. Whether we are 
born sinners or not, is matter for the schools ; but 
that we are not born saints, you and I know as well 
as theologians.' In the same connection he says : 
'The quickest way to outgrow rule is to make 
faithful use of rule. Our life can become unmechanically holy only 
by first being artificially and laboriously holy. What we admire 
as spontaneity is very often only the flower that has with imper- 
ceptible steps unfolded from the coarse calyx of painful effort.' My 
good friends, let us take a lesson from the clock. As the Rev. W. 
L. Watkinson has so tersely put it, ' Let us believe in the divinity of 
fag. It is not in brilliance that we shall be saved, but by pegging away 
in simple, honest work. Yet all the time let us feed our souls with 
high beliefs and hopes. Let us talk to ourselves about glory., honor, 
immortality, — the reward assured to all who show patient continuance 
in well-doing ; so shall our path of life, however lowly, be a royal 
pathway, growing brighter and brighter to a perfect day.'" — J. Mac- 
donald Oxley, in The Sunday School Times. 



The Old Testament Explaining the New. 

Reasoned out of the Scriptures. — No one can understand Christ and 
His work in their fullness without a study of the Old Testament Scrip- 
tures. Macaulay in his essay on Milton (p. 43) says, " Ariosto tells a story 
of a fairy, who, by some mysterious law of her nature, was condemned 
to appear at certain seasons in the form of a foul, poisonous snake. 
Those who injured her during the period of her disguise were forever 
excluded from participation in the blessings which she 
bestowed. But to those who, in spite of her loathsome Ariosto's 
aspect, pitied and protected her, she afterward revealed Fairy, 
herself in the beautiful and celestial form which was 
natural to her, accompanied their steps, granted all their wishes, filled 
their houses with wealth, made them happy in love and victorious in 
war." Unless we study the types and sacrifices of the Jewish ritual, 
unless we are acquainted with the long history of God's dealings with 
His people, the dim prophecies andforeshadovvings of the Messiah, we 
cannot see the full meaning of the suffering and the risen Saviour, the 
atoning sacrifice, the living Lord, the Redeemer of the world. 



348 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII : 3, 4 



3. Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again 
from the dead ; and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 

4, And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the 
devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. 



3. Allegi ng, irapaneepevos, placing beside, setting forth. " The more 
modern use of allege — to assert — has somewhat obscured the older 
English meaning, which was merely 'to set forth.' The Greek verb 
here translated by it signifies primarily 4 to set out food, etc., on a 
table, 1 and then figuratively 4 to set out arguments,' but without the idea 
of assertion. For the English word, cf . Coverdale, Works (Parker Soc), 
p. 14, 'We will first declare our mind out of Scripture and allege {A e., 
set before you), somewhat more for the better understanding of the 
matter.' " — Cambridge Bible. 



4. Consorted with, irpocrcKX-npuO-qo-av, from irpos, to, and kX^pos, a lot ; 

hence were allotted to, or with middle force. Allotted themselves to, 
cast in their lot with, consorted,' is a kind of military term. It 
belongs to the camp and bivouac. After the battle men have met to 
divide the spoils. They range themselves in different groups, each 
group throwing their chances into one and taking part and lot together, 
share and share alike." Such is the picture of these believers. They 
cast life, property, all, into the great transaction. They literally made 
the lot and portion of these humble disciples their own for this world 
and the next, forsaking all else. — Rev. J. W. Weddell, in Sunday School 
Times. 



3. Opening the Scriptures so that they saw many things in them 
which they never dreamed were there. Many a rocky farm 
in our land has been opened and men have found riches of Hidden 
gold and silver beneath the surface. Many a pasture in Treasures 
Pennsylvania and Ohio has been opened, and the oil wells Revealed, 
have proved them of more value than mines of silver. 
Science is continually opening the common things of life and finding 
in them greater treasure than the " Open sesame" did in the "Arabian 
Nights." 

We see a thousand things now, where before we saw little more than 
outward forms. 



Compare the opening of the eyes of Elisha's servant at Dothan (2 
Kings, 6 : 8-17). Hagar's eyes opened to see the well (Gen. 21 : 19). 



XVII : 3, 4 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



349 



The Bible Is Exhaustless in Its Resources.— It 
has one meaning for us to-day and another meaning 
for us to-morrow, and both meanings are true. In 
the Dresden Gallery of Royal Gems there is a silver 
egg. Touch a spring and it opens, disclosing a golden 
chicken ; touch the chicken and it opens, disclosing a 
crown studded with gems ; touch the crown and it 
opens, disclosing a magnificent diamond ring. So it 

is with the Bible. As we study it, we touch sue- t 4* 

cessive springs, disclosing exhaustless treasures. As Augustin rightly 
says : " Scripture has first draughts, second draughts, third draughts." 
(Habet Scriptura haustus primos, habet secundos, habet tertios.) — Sun- 
day School Times. 



A. U. 52. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Thessa- 
lonica. 
Paul's 
Work 
there. 



Cologne Cathedral Window in the Sunlight. — " A little while 
ago I was in the noble Cathedral of Cologne. Going in the early morn- 
ing, I saw the eastern windows lit up by the sun. Far away in the 
great church the other windows were all obscure and dusky. We 
strolled in about noonday, and then these windows in the depths were 
lit up with ruby, purple, gold — prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs. 
And then when the sun was going down, we looked in to find that the 
great western window was magnificently kindled, like a window that 
opened into heaven. As the hours of the day went on, first one window 
was illuminated, then another, until in the end there was not a painted 
pane but had added some splendor to the temple. It is a great deal like 
that with your Bible. There is many a dark page in the Bible to-day, 
but in the process of the suns they are lit up one after another. Suc- 
cessive generations will find in that Book the specific doctrine that is 
necessary to them, their complexities, their perplexities, their interests, 
their perils." 

Reference. See illustrations under viii. 31. 



Paul's Manner op Living. — Among the Thessalonians is revealed 
in his epistles to them a few months later, his labors at tent making, his 
gifts from Philippi (Phil. 4 : 15-17), his pure and holy life. He was also 
weak from his scourging and the stocks. 



Library. — The booklet, by Wm. Gannett, Blessed be Drudgery. 



Picture. — Murillo's picture called The Angels in the Kitchen. 



350 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII : 5, 6 



5. II But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain 
lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an 
uproar, and assaulted the house of Ja son, and sought to bring them out to the 
people. 

6. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto 
the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are 
come hither also ; 



5. Of the baser sort, dvopcuwv, from d-yopd, the marketplace; hence 
loungers in the market-place ; the rabble. Cicero calls them subrostrdni, 
those who hung round the rostra, or platform for speakers in the forum; 
and Plautus, subbasilicani, the loungers round the court-house or 
exchange. — M. R. Vincent, in Word Studies. 



6. Rulers of the City, TroXirdpxas. — This is a very peculiar Greek 
term, used here only in the New Testament, and not at all by classical writ- 
ers. It would seem that Luke had made a mistake had we not learned by an 
inscription found in Thessalonica itself that it was the title of the gov- 
ernors or chief magistrates of a free city. " This would certainly be set 
down as a blunder by skeptical criticism, but for the happy providence 
which has preserved it on a large inscription of St. Paul's day, and 
which St. Paul's own eyes must have seen carved on the entablature of 
a triumphal arch, which spanned the main street of Thessalonica, 
. . . The stones on which ran the inscription were shipped to Eng- 
land during the outbreak of 1876, and are now safe in the British 
Museum." — Farar. " Surely the stones of Thessalonica cry out in 
defence of Luke's accuracy." 



5. Moved With Envy. — Alas ! for this spirit of envy and jealousy 
coming down through the ages. Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob, Saul 
and David, Haman and Mordecai, Othello and Iago, Orlando and 
Angelica, Caligula and Torquatus, Cgesar and Pompey, Columbus and 
the Spanish courtiers, Cambyses and the brother he slew because he was 
a better marksman, Dionysius and Philoxenius whom he slew because 
he was a better singer. Jealousy among painters. Closterman and 
Geoffrey, Kneller, Hudson and Reynolds. Francia anxious 
to see a picture of Raphael, Raphael sends him a picture. Historical 
Francia, seeing it, falls in a fit of jealousy, from which he Cases of 
dies. Jealousy among authors. How seldom contempo- Envy, 
raries speak of each other ! Xenophon and Plato living at 
the same time, but from their writings you would never suppose they 
had heard of each other. Religious jealousies. The Mohammedans 
praying for rain during a drought, no rain coming. Then the Christians 



XVII: 5, 6 THE ACTS OF THE ArOSTLES 



351 



began to pray for rain, and the rain comes. Then the 
Mohammedans met together to account for this, and 
they resolved that God was so well pleased with their 
prayers He kept the drought on so as to keep them 
praying; but that the Christians began to pray, and 
the Lord was so disgusted with their prayer that He 
sent rain right away, so He would not hear any more 
of their supplication! Oh! this accursed spirit of envy 
and jealousy. Let us stamp it out from all our hearts. A wrestler 
was so envious of Theagenes, the prince of wrestlers, that 
he could not be consoled in any way, and after Theagenes Wrestling 
died and a statue was lifted to him in a public place, his With a 
envious antagonist went out every night and wrestled with Statue, 
the statue, until, one night, he threw it, and it fell on him 
and crushed him to death. So jealousy is not oniy absurd, but it is kill 
ing to the body, and it is killing to the soul." — T. De Witt Talmage, 
Bib. Illustrates*. 



Assaulted. — How hard these Jews tried to prevent light and salva- 
tion from coming to them. They feared that the little light 
they had would be destroyed by the glorious light of the Fearing to 
Gospel. They remind us of <l a piteous story of a prisoner Destroy 
for years and years shut in a dungeon, his only light a nar- Prison 
row ray from a chink in the wall. His friends came at Walls Lest 
last with power to demolish the cruel barriers and let in a a Ray 
flood of God's sweet sunshine; but he, poor, pallid wretch, Through a 
prayed that they would not destroy the walls and Chink be 
with them his precious chink, his one blessed gleam of Lost, 
light!" 



6. Have Turned the World Upside Down. — A Yorkshire local 
preacher using for his text, " These that have turned the world upside 
down are come hither also," divided his sermon thus: 1. The world at 
first was put right side up; 2. Sin came, and turned it upside down; 3. 
The world has got to be set right again; 4. We are the chaps to do it. 
The Rev. Newman Hall, who gives this account, says of it, " A plain 
way of putting grand truths. It is no mere superficial improvement 
the gospel effects, but a revolution in character — whether of individuals 
or of society. And by the help of God the Christian church has to do 
this work ? can do it, and can alone do it." 



A. ». 52. 

Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Thessa- 
lonica. 
The Mob. 



352 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII 17-9 



7. Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cesar, 
sa} iug that there is another king, one Jesus. 

8. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these 
things. 

9. And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the others, they let them go. 



8. Troubled, eTdpaijav, to agitate, like the waves of a sea in a storm ; 
hence to trouble, to distress, to disquiet 

The same word is used in ver. 13, and translated " stirred up the peo- 
ple," as a storm stirs up the sea. 



9. Security (to Iko,vov). "The sufficient," a law term for bail, suffi- 
cient for the purpose. 



7. Another King, one Jesus. — " We can scarcely now realize the 
suspicions which must have been roused against the early preachers of 
Christianity by the very language they used. Their sacramental lan- 
guage concerning the body and blood of Christ, the language of Chris- 
tian love and union which they used, designating themselves brethren 
and sisters, caused for more than two centuries the dissem- 
ination of the most frightful rumors concerning the horrible Accusations 
nature of Christian love-feasts. They were accused of can- Against 
nibalism and of the most degraded and immoral practices ; Early 
and when we take up the Apologists of the second century, Christians. 
Justin Martyr and such like, we shall find that the efforts of 
these men are largely directed to the refutation of such dreadful 
charges. And as it was in morals so was it too in politics. The sacred 
and religious language of the Christians caused them to be suspected of 
designs hostile to the Roman government. The apostles preached 
about a king who ruled the kingdom of God." — Prof. Stokes. 



Library. — See Justin Martyr's First Apology, ch. xxix., Second 
Apology, ch. xii., Athenagoras' Apology, ch. xxxi-xxxv. (All in T. T. 
Clark's Ante Nicene Library, pp. 32, 81, 415-419. 



Christ's Kingdom With Other Kingdoms. — " The Lord's own words, 
'My kingdom is not of this world,' remain a perennial 
rebuke to all persecuting governments on the one hand, and Different 
all political and ecclesiastical organizations on the other. Natural 
Magnetism and gravity act at the same place and at the Powers 
same time, but do not come into collision with each other. Together, 
Each of these powers pervades all the earth's surface ; each but not 
is supreme everywhere for its own objects ; the one does Interfering. 



XVII: 10, II THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 353 



10. H And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and 
Sl'las by night unto Bere'a: who coming thither went into the 
synagogue of the Jews. 

11. These were more noble than those in Thes'salonl'ca, in 
that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and 
searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 



not stand in the other's way. There is not less of 

gravity on any given spot because magnetism has free ^ 

scope there. If one of these were subordinated to the 
other the system of the world would be destroyed. This might help us 
to conceive of Christ's spiritual authority reigning with absolute sway 
over spirits, and yet not interfering with any legitimate function of civil 
government. " — Wm. Arnot. 



The Epistles to the Thessalonians. — The first Epistle to the Thes- 
salonians was written by Paul to this church from Corinth, only a few 
months after his first visit there on the same missionary journey, i. e. late 
in A. D. 52 or early in 53. It is "the oldest book of the New Testament, 
the earliest document of the Christian religion."' — Farrar. The Second 
Epistle was written soon after (A. D. 53). 



10. Sent Away Paul — The only result of the persecution was to 
spread the Christianity which the persecutors sought to destroy. 

When Prince Napoleon was at Leghorn, during the Italian war, he 
was accompanied by M. About, a literary man of rising 
reputation. About was asked how his book, "The Roman Circulation 
Question," was selling. " Only five or six copies have been Increased 
sold," replied About. A friend suggested that Napoleon by Putting 
could help the sale by putting it under ban, forbidding it to the Book 
be sold. He did so. The next day the Moniteur announced Under Ban. 
that the " Roman Question " was seized by the government ; 
and 15,000 copies were sold at once. 

Reference. — See effects of persecution under viii. :4. 



11. More Noble. 

" However it be, it seems to me 
'Tis only noble to be good ; 
Kind hearts are more than coronets, 
And simple faith than Norman blood." — Tennyson. 

23 



A. D. 52. 

Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 

Berea. 
Paul and 

Silas. 
(Timothy 
left at 
Tliessa- 
lonica.) 



354 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII: 1 2- 1 5 



12. Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women which were 
Greeks, and of men, not a few. 

13. But when the Jews of Thes'saloni'ca had knowledge that the word of God 
was preached of Paul at Bere'a, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. 

14. And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea; 
but Sl'las and Timo'theus abode there still. 

15. And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Ath'ens : and receiving a 
commandment unto Silas and Timo'theus for to come to him with all speed, they 
departed. 



Searched the Scriptures. — Coleridge divided readers into f our 
classes. The first class he compares to an hour-glass, their reading 
being as the sand ; it runs in and runs out, and leaves not a vestige 
behind. A second class resembles a sponge, which imbibes everything, 
and returns it in nearly the same state. A third class is like a jelly-bag, 
which allows all that is pure to pass away, and retains only the refuse 
and the dregs. The fourth class, like the slave of Golconda, casts aside 
all that is worthless, preserving only the pure gems. Or perhaps we 
might compare this fourth class to the gold-pan, used for retaining the 
pure metal, while the refuse is washed out. The only profitable reading 
of God's Word is a searching reading. The word translated "search" 
is emphatic and intense, and literally means to "look carefully," as a 
wild animal searches the sands to find the footsteps of a stray cub. The 
Bible is full of hidden treasures, to be sought as the merchant-man 
sought goodly pearls. They are not revealed to indifferent and super- 
ficial readers. — A. T. Pierson. D. D. 



Parable of tne Hid Treasure, Matt. 13 : 44. 



A Lamp to My Feet. — I heard not long ago, as an illustration of the 
text, " Thy word is a lamp unto my feet," that in Jerusalem men some- 
times walk the dark and narrow streets with a candle upon the toe of 
their boots, as miners here carry them upon their hats. The story was 
regarded as doubtful by one who had lived long in Jerusa- 
lem. But the next summer at Saratoga, in the house of Foot Lamps 
Panza, which is a reproduction of an ancient house of of Pompeii. 
Pompeii about the time of Christ, I saw a foot from that 
city with the lamp upon it, and a statement that it had been discovered 
that such was once the custom. Let the Bible be held close to the path 
in which we walk, that we may avoid the dangers and keep the way. 



The Scriptures are Well Worth the Searching, for they are like 
the works of God, containing a million times more of good than we 



XVII : l6 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 355 



16. T[ Now -while Paul waited for them at Ath'ens, his spirit 
was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to 
idolatry. 



have dreamed. Their depths are unfathomable, be- 
cause they are divine. 



"When Columbus saw the river Orinoco, some one 
said he had discovered an island. He replied : " No such river as that 
flows from an island. That mighty torrent must drain the waters of a 
continent." So this book comes, not from the empty hearts of impos- 
ters, liars, and deceivers ; it springs from the eternal depths of divine 
wisdom, love, and grace. It is the transcript of the divine mind, the 
unfolding of the divine purpose, the revelation of the divine will." — 
H. L. Hastings. 



15. Brought Him Unto Athens. — No man who lives utterly for 
himself will fail, in the end, to despise himself. This lesson is finely 
taught in Tennyson's " Palace of Art." In this poem a man is placed 
before us, of fine intellectual and aesthetic powers, who, with every luxury 
at command, sets before himself as an object — to be happy, selfishly 
happy. He retires to dwell alone in a palace of wondrous beauty. Its 
summit gleams with gold. Its courts echo the cool music of fountains. 
In its towers are great bells moving of themselves with silver sound. 
Its windows gleam with gorgeous colorings. Its stately 
colonnades are hung with exquisite pictures culled from Tennyson's 
the choicest beauties of nature and poesy. Everywhere the Palace 
eye receives, as it gazes round, some answering hue of love- of Art. 
liness. Here the proud man will dwell alone, neglectful of 
his kind. For three brief years his joy continues. Then suddenly all 
is changed. A cleaving curse falls on the pomp, a darkness on the 
glory. Deep loathing of its solitude falls on his soul. Weird haunting 
fears turn the palace into a ghastly tomb. Loveless, comfortless, he 
who seated himself above sympathy perishes for the want of sympathy. 
Then comes repentance bearing away the splendid robes and crying, 
"Make me a cottage in the vale where I may mourn and pray." His 
soul has learned its lesson. 



16. Wholly Given to Idolatry, Kcn-eCScoXov, from Kcn-d, thoroughly, 
from top to bottom, overwhelmed, and ICSwXov, an idol, an image ; from 
4C8os, something seen , form, fijure. Athens is said to have contained 
3,000 images of the gods, and that it was easier to find a god than a man. 



* 

A. ». 52. 

Probably Nov. 

and Dec. 

Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 

Athens. 
Paul alone. 



356 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XVII : 16 



Athens was one of the three greatest and most influential cities in 
the world's history. " In its prime it sent forth more great men in one 
hundred years than all the rest of the world could show in five hun- 
dred." — B. B Doherty, Ph. D. Recall Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, 
Demosthenes, iEschylus, Sophocles, Aristides, Phidias Zeno, Epicurus. 
Xenophon. 

" Athens was the mother of fine arts, the patron of poetry, the foun- 
der of systems of philosophy." 

"The apostle was in that 'Holy Land of the Ideal,' to which the 
ancient world of art and letters made pilgrimage. Here was the shrine 
at which ' the fair humanities ' of the pagan faith were worshipped — 
here the gymnasium, in which the human form came to its most per- 
fect development in grace and beauty. Here, also, the human mind, 
the laws of thought, and that language which became the chosen 
medium of God's truth, attained an almost ideal acuteness and expan- 
sion, while in the age of Pericles art, poetry, and philosophy reached 
such consummate excellence as to become classic models of form and 
style to all the generations. It was in the market-place at Athens that 
Socrates, 'the wisest of men,' asked his immortal questions ; and yon- 
der in the olive groves by the brook Plato founded the acad- 
emy ; to the east, under the shadow of the mountain, was Literary 
the lyceum of Aristotle, while near at hand, in the agora, Athens, 
were the garden of Epicurus and the painted porch of the 
Stoics. Here was the home of the drama, and the scholar speaks with 
pride the names of iEschylus and Sophocles. Here spoke the orators of 
Greece, not only to the civil issues of that time, but also to the listening 
ears of the future, and here wrote historians like Thucydides and Xeno- 
phon ; while in her temples was deified the national spirit in the marble 
images of her heroes and soldiers, in the trophies of her victories, and 
the memory of her defeats, until we may say with truth that no city of 
like limits ever gathered to itself so much of history, so many objects 
of interest, and such prestige as Athens." — Monday Club Sermons. 

Wholly Given to Idolatry — full of idols. " We learn from Pliny 
that at the time of Nero, Athens contained over 3,000 public statues, 
besides a countless number of lesser images within the walls of private 
houses : — In one street there stood before every house a square pillar 
carrying upon it a bust of the god Hermes (Mercury). Every gateway 
and porch carried its protecting god." — G. S. Davies, in Vincent's Word 
Studies. 

Libraries. — G. S. Davies, St. Paul in Greece. Lewin's Life of St 
Paul. 

" Athens, the eye of Greece ! Mother of arts 
And eloquence ! Native to famous wits." — Milton. 



XVII: i6 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



357 



Gold and Ivory Statue of Minerva. — " The chief 
glory of Athens was the " miracle " of the art of 
Phidias, the chrys-elephantine statue of Athena, en- 
shrined in the beautifnl Parthenon, with face, hands, 
and feet of pure ivory, the figure draped in coverings 
of solid gold. The weight of gold employed was not 
less than forty -four talents, and the statue was nearly 
forty feet high. Another statue of the virgin goddess, 
in bronze, stood in the open air, near by. It must 
have been about seventy feet in height, towering above the Parthenon, 
" so that the point of its spear and the crest of its helmet were visible 
off the promontory of Sunium to ships approaching Athens." — Rev. 
Wm. Ewing, in the Sunday School Times. 



A. ». 52. 

Probably Nov. 
and Dec. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Athens. 
Paul alone. 



Paul and the Attractions of Athens. — Paul was not indifferent to 
the beauties and attractions of Athens, but a higher interest outdazzled 
the lesser, as we cannot see the stars when the sun shines. 

" When Howard went forth, on what a great orator has called his 
' circumnavigation of charity,' he visited some of the noblest cities, and 
passed through some of the most attractive scenery of modern Europe ; 
but neither the splendor and wealth of the one, nor the attractions of 
the other, could engage his attention ; the dungeon and the hospital, 
where suffering humanity invited his aid, had an interest to 
his mind which drew him aside from everything else, and Howard 
made him insensible ' to the sumptuousness of palaces and in the 
the stateliness of temples,' to the curiosity of art, and even Noblest 
to the sublimities and beauties of nature. Cicero tells us that Cities, 
for him Athens had a higher charm than was derived from 
its magnificent buildings and exquisite works of art — the charm that 
arose from the memory of its illustrious men, and which made him 
search out the abodes and favorite haunts of each, and look with intent 
gaze on their sepulchres." — W. L. Alexander, D. D. 

A Religion Not for the People. — " But while the public buildings 
were grand and beautiful, the streets adorned at every possible point 
with statuary of bronze or marble, and temples of every shape and 
material crowded every public place, the private dwellings were, as a 
rule, mean ; the streets narrow and crooked, unpaved and dirty ; with 
poor supply of water, and very meagre sewerage. A people taught by 
the sages, the philosophers and the statesmen, which were the pride of 
Greece, ought to have been noble men, but Paul found the Athenians 
frivolous and profligate — their very culture luring them to vice, and 
their religion an incentive to shameless debauchery." — Lyman Abbott. 
LL. D. 



353 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII: I J, 1 8 



17. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout 
persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. 

18. Then certain philosophers of the Ep'iciire'ans, and of the Sto'ics, encountered 
him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a 
setter forth of strange gods; because he preached unto them Jesus, and the 
resurrection. 



Pictuees. — Paul preaching at Athens. Raphael (South Kensington) ; 
School at Athens, Raphael, Vatican ; Paul Preaching at Athens, Bicla, 
Luxembourg. 



17. Maeket, d-yopd. from dveipw, to collect, hence a collection of men, the 
place where men are collected, the public square where people gather for 
buying and selling, or any assemblies are held. 



18. Babblee, o-n-gpp.oXo'yos, Athenian slang, meaning a seed-gatherer, 
a bird which picks up seeds as food ; hence applied to worthless fellows 
who lived at the expense of others, picking up the scraps of food which 
fall from the loads carried about. It was then applied to " the picker 
up of learning's crumbs/' the literary plagiarist who picks up the refuse 
and scraps of the philosophers, without the knowledge or capacity to 
apply them correctly : those "who made a show, in unscientific style, 
of knowledge which they got from the misunderstanding of lectures." 
"The word that most nearly corresponds to it in modern social slang 
(allowing for the difference between Athens and England) is " Bounder, 
heard in English university circles (in reference to athletic sports') for a 
looker-on, who was trying to play the game with the smattering of 
knowledge he had picked up by eye and ear." — From Prof. Ramsay, 
Paul the Traveller. 



' ' This fellow pecks up wit as pigeons pease, 
And utters it again when Jove doth please. 
He is wit's pedlar and retails his wares 
At wakes and wassails, meetings, markets, fairs." 

— Shakespeare 1 s Lore's Labor's Lost, v. 2. 



Epicureans. 
" Quid sit futurum eras, fuge quagrere ; et, 

Quern Fors dierum cunque dabit, lucro Appone." 
[" Strive not the morrow's chance to know, 
But count what'e'er the Fates bestow 

As given thee for thy gain."] — Horace, Od. i. 9. 



XVII : 19-23 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



359 



19. And they took him and brought him unto Ar'eop'agus, 
saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou 
speakest, is? 

20. For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears ; we 
would know, therefore, what these things mean. 

21. (For all the Athenian's and strangers which were there 
spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear 
some new thing.) 

22. Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye »J« »J« 

men of Ath'ens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 

23. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this 
inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, 
him declare I unto you. 



A. ». 52. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Athens. 
Paul's 
Address 
before tlie 
Areopagus. 



" Sapias, vina liques, et spatio brevi 
Spem longain reseces. Dutn loquimur, fugerit invida 
iEtas. Carpe diem, quain minimum credula postero." 
["Be wise, and let your wines flow clear, 
And as you greet each short-lived year, 
Curb hope's delusive play ; 

E'en as we speak, our life glides by ; 

Enjoy the moments as they fly, 
Nor trust the far-off day."] — Od. i. 11. 

" When this our life lay crushed before men's eyes 
Beneath the yoke of Faith, who from on high 
With horrid aspect frightened mortal hearts, 
It was a Greek, himself a mortal, too, 
Who first had courage to lift up his eyes 
And to her face withstand her. Tales of Gods, 
And thunderbolts from heaven, with all their threats, 
Were impotent to stay him. . . . 

... So at last 
Faith in its turn lies trampled under foot, 
And we through him have triumphed over heaven." 

— Lucretius Be Rev. Nat., i. 67-80. (Quoted by Plumptre.) 



Stoics. — "They pose as heroes, and as drunkards live." — Juvenal, 
Sat. ii. 3. 



19. Areopagus. Library. — "Capes' University Life in Ancient 
Athens. 



22. Too Superstitious, Seio-iScuixovco-Tepous, a word compounded of 
8ci8o>, to fear, to reverence, and Saijwov, a god, and inferior deity. In the 



360 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII : 24, 25 



24. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord 
of heaven aud earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 

25. Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, 
seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things ; 



comparative degree. Hence, more full of reverence for deities than the 
other Greeks, very religious, alluding to the great number of idols in 
the city. 

Prof. Vincent, on 25:19 quotes the following from Zeschwitz: — 
"Bernhardy very aptly remarks that the entrance of the word 
Seicri-SaifiovCa, marks a critical point in the history of the life of the 
Greek people. It marks the wavering between scepticism and des- 
pondency. It leaves the conception of the object of religious reverence 
wavering between God and demon, and thus fearing becomes the 
dominant notion. Hence the word carries more reproach than credit." 



23. Devotions, a-e^aa-^ara., from <re(3as, reverence, awe, hence, objects 
(not acts) of devotion, such as temples, altars, idols. 



To the Unknown God. — " The astronomers Le Verrier and Adams, 
in separate countries at the same time, observing certain motions 
among the spheres which could not be accounted for by any known 
cause, concluded that there must be a body not yet discovered some- 
where in the regions of space in which the disturbances 
were observed. Seeking in the direction thus indicated Le Verrier 
they found the far distant and hitherto unknown world. Finding 
So Greek philosophy was able, from the appetites and an Unknown 
vacancies of the human mind, which all the idols could World, 
not satisfy, to determine that there must be some God 
hitherto from them concealed, to whom these appetites pointed, 
and without whom they could not be satisfied. Their skill could 
discover in a general way their need, but they could not by their 
searching find the missing portion for a human soul." — Arnot. 



24. The World. — t6v k6o-|xov, a harmonious, orderly arrangement or 
constitution, hence the ordered world, the organized universe, as con- 
stituted by God, the host of heaven. 



25. Is Worshipped. — GgpairevcTai. The word means to do service 
to attend upon, as a physician upon a sick person, hence often rendered 
to treat medically, to heal. God does not need anyone to aid him with 
their hands. 



XVII: 24, 25 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



3 6l 



"The prayer of Chryses, priest of Apollo, in Illiad 
I, 37 sq., expresses the true spirit of heathenism in 
this respect: — 

" If e'er with wreaths I hung thy sacrecl fane, 
Or fed the flames with fat of oxen slain, 
God of the silver bow ! thy shafts employ, 
Avenge thy servant, and the Greeks destroy." 

— Racket t. 

On the other hand, Whittier pictures the Christian 
worship: — 

' ' Thy litanies, sweet offices, 
Of love and gratitude ; 
Thy sacramental liturgies 
The joy of doing good." 



Coleridge's Hymn in the Valley of Chamouny. — Coleridge gives 
voice to a faith profounder than science in his " Hymn Before Sunrise 
in the Vale of Chamouny." "A living English critic has pronounced 
it the noblest expression of the vision of a personal Creator in nature, 
extant in any uninspired literature : " 

' ' Ye icef alls ! 
Who made you glorious as the gates of heaven 
Beneath the keen full moon ? Who bade the sun 
Clothe you with rainbows ? Who, with living flowers 
Of loveliest blue, spread garlands at your feet? — 
God ! let the torrents, like a shout of nations, 
Answer ! and let the ice plains echo, God ! 
God ! sing, ye meadow streams, with gladsome voice ! 

Ye living flowers that skirt the eternal frost ! 
Ye wild goats sporting round the eagle's nest ! 
Ye eagles, playmates of the mountain-storm ! 
Ye lightnings, dread arrows of the clouds ! 
Ye signs and wonders of the elements, 
Utter forth God, and fill the hills with praise ! " 

— 8, T. Coleridge. 



Heathen Dieties. — " The traveler in the Hartz mountains is some- 
times startled by a gigantic apparition in the clouds which are about 
him, until he discovers that his every gesture is repeated by the image 
which for the moment aroused his superstitious awe. The gods of 



A. D. 52. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Athens. 
Paul's 
Address 
before the 
Areopagus. 



362 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII : 26, 27 



26. And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of 
the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their 
habitation; 

27. That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find 
him, though he be not far from every one of us : 



Greece and Rome were but gigantic reflections cast upon the clouds by 
Greek and Roman life. The gods of Homer and Virgil 
are not only feasting gods, but roystering, bacchanalian, The Brocken 
drunken gods. They are not only sensuous, marrying and Shadow, 
giving in marriage ; they are openly and grossly licentious ; 
adultery and rape are divine. They are vindictive, passionate, intrigu- 
ing, mendacious. They are deifications of Ahab and Jezebel, of Mach- 
iavelli and Lucretia Borgia, of Henry VIII. and Catherine de Medici. 
Well cried Vespasian on his death-bed, ' Woe is me, for I am about to 
become a god.' " — Abbott. 

27. Feel After Him and Find Him. — "St. Augustine's famous 
aphorism, ' The human heart was made for God, and only he can fill it,' 
is as true as it is terse. Just as the wing of the bird is fitted 
for the air, the fin of the fish for the water, our feet for the The Soul 
ground, our ears for sound, and our eyes for light, and as Made for 
there are defect and discord when any organ is out of its God. 
element and failing to fulfill its function, so, despite all 
appearances and substitutes, the heart that is turned away from God 
cannot be truly happy." 

The Religious Nature Feeling After God. — Paul here defines the 
actual position not only of idolatry, but of the modern systems of 
religion, such as 'rationalism, spiritualism so far as it is a religion, and 
all systems that leave out Christ and an inspired Bible. They are pic- 
tures of the ideals of manhood, or expressions of the religious hunger 
of men. There are in them some faint echoes from God, some dim 
visions of an answer, but they seem like one great interrogation point 
written over the whole heart of humanity. They seem to say with 
Tennyson, 

" I falter where I firmly trod 

And falling with my weight of cares 
Upon the great world's altar stairs, 
That slope through darkness up to God ; 

" I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope 
And gather dust and chaff, and call 
To what I feel is Lord of all, 
And faintly trust the larger hope." 



XVII: 26, 27 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



363 



For man without the Gospel is but 

" An infant crying in the night, 

An infant crying for the light, 

And with no language but a cry." 
The Gospel is the answer to these questionings and 
the satisfaction of these longings. They paint pictures 
of heaven ; Christ takes us to heaven. They express 
our hunger of soul ; Christ satisfies it. They utter 
our moanings over sin and guilt ; Christ saves us from 
sin and forgives us. They picture out what we should be ; Christ gives 
the new heart and makes us what we should be. They are the soul's 
cry after God ; Christ is the answer to the cry. 



Feeling Aftfr God ; Trees Seeking the Light. — Note how tall the 
trees grow in the forest. I have seen an apple tree, usually so spread- 
ing, grow up tall and thin like a birch. The reason is that the tree 
seeks the light, it grows toward the light. It is dark below, the light 
is above, and the tree grows upward, while the lower limbs die away 
for want of light. 



The Parable of the Climbing Plants. — "1. The first peculiarity of 
the climbing plant to which Mr. Darwin calls our attention is ' the slow 
revolution, in a larger or smaller circle, of the upper extremities in 
search of a support,' and when in their revolutions they are brought 
into contact with some firm object they immediately press against it 
and so twine round it. The plant cannot stand alone, and it begins to 
reach out after support just as soon as it begins to grow. Do we not 
witness in these movements an analogy of the outreachings of the soul 
after God ? The soul knows that it cannot thrive alone, that it needs 
some Power stronger than itself to cling to; and it feels after it if haply 
it may find it. Blindly, in the dark, the minds of men grope after this 
Object of their faith. It is not the heathen alone who have this experi- 
ence. You know, my friend, no matter how irreligious your life may 
have been, that your heart is often yearning for a good you have not 
got; that the sense of helplessness and dependence sometimes takes 
strong hold of you and forces from your heart the cry: ' Oh that I knew 
where I might find Him,' and lay hold upon His strength! 2. 'On 
another plant,' says Mr. Darwin, 'three pairs of tendrils were produced 
at the same time by three shoots, and all happened to be differently 
directed. I placed the pot in a box open only on one side and obliquely 
facing the light; in two days all six tendrils pointed with unerring truth 
to the darkest corner of the box, though to do this each had to bend in 
a different manner.' The tendril is seeking an object to cling to, the 



A. ». 52. 

Second. 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Athens. 

Paul's 
Address 
before the 
Areopagus. 



364 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII : 28, 29 



28. For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your 
own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 

29. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that 
the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 



light coming freely from one side shows that no object is there, so the 
tendrils turn in the other direction; support is nearest on the side where 
the shadow is. But how does this prefigure our spiritual relation to 
God ? God is light; true, but clouds and darkness are the habitation of 
His throne. When it is said that in Him is no darkness at all, the dark- 
ness is moral; there is in Him no deceit, insincerity, hatred. His char- 
acter is light, but there are many things about his nature that are dark 
to us. And it is precisely His transcendent greatness that our trust lays 
hold upon. We want a Power to cling to whose greatness we cannot 
compass with our thought. The darkness is a symbol of God's infinity, 
of the veiling of His nature from our sight. But it is only by the help 
of shadows that we see. Look directly at the sun and you can see noth- 
ing. It is when your back is turned to the sun that you see most clearly. 
Our faith, like the tendrils, turns not only toward the darkness that 
hides God's infinity, but also toward the shadow because in that some- 
thing of His nature is visible. The shadow not only conceals, it also 
discloses. You cannot conceive of absolute deity. Your mind is daz- 
zled when you look God in the face, just as your eyes are dazzled when 
you look on the sun. And men have always found it necessary to learn 
what God is by looking toward the shadows and the types. 

3. *' ' If the tendril seizes nothing,' says this naturalist, ' it soon with- 
ers away and drops off.' It is possible thus, by simple neglect to destroy 
that part of our nature by which we take hold upon God. The extinction 
of the faith-faculty is a possible calamity, and it is the direst. How can 
the climbing plant cling when the tendrils have withered and dropped 
off ? It must thenceforth grovel in the dirt and be trodden under foot 
of men. 

4. "Let us hear Mr. Darwin again : ' Tendrils soon after catching a 
support grow much stronger and thicker and more durable.' The instincts 
of the soul that feel after God are wonderfully strengthened when 
they find him and take hold of his power." — Condensed from Washing- 
ton Gladden, D. D. 



28. In Him We Live and Move. 

" The soul that rises with us — our life's star — 
Hath had elsewhere its setting, 
And cometh from afar. 



XVII: 30, 31 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 365 



30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now 
commandeth all men everywhere to repent : 

31. Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will 
judge the world in righteousness by thai man whom he hath 
ordained; w hereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in 
that he hath raised him from the dead. 



A. ». 52. 

Second. 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Atliens. 
Paul's 
Address 
before tlie 
Areopagus. 



Not in entire forgetfulness, 
Nor yet in utter nakedness, 
But trailing clouds of glory do we come 
From God who is our home." 

— Wordsworth ; Ode to Immortality. 

As the flowing of the ocean fills 

Each creek and branch thereof and then retires, 

Leaving behind a sweet and wholesome savor, 

So do the virtue and the life of God 

Flow evermore into the hearts of those 

Whom he hath made partakers of his nature. 

— Longfellow. 



Your Own Poets Have Said : 

1. " From Zeus begin we; never let us leave 

His name unloved. With Him, with Zeus, are filled 
All paths we tread, and all the marts of men; 
Filled, too, the sea, and every creek and bay; 
And all in all things need we help of Zeus, 
For we too are his offspring. " 
— The Cilieian poet, Aratus, Phcenomena, a work on astronomy. 

2. " Most glorious of immortals, many named, 

Almighty and for ever, thee, O Zeus, 

Sovran o'er Nature, guiding with thy hand, 

All things that are, we greet with praises. Thee 

'Tis meet that mortals call with one accord, 

For we thine offspring are, and we alone 

Of all that live and move upon this earth, 

Receive the gift of imitative speech." 

— Cleanthes, Hymn to Zeus, a disciple ofZeno at Athens. 



30. Winked at, virepiSwv, overlooked. 



31. A Day in Which He Will Judge the World. 

" When the sun grows cold, and the stars are old, 
And the leaves of the judgment-book unfold?" 



366 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVII : 30, 3 1 



Every Word Recorded. — ' ' It is related, that, some time since, a 
gentleman visiting England called upon a gentleman there living in 
princely grandeur. After being passed from one liveried servant to 
another, with almost as much ceremony as if he were about to be 
brought into the presence of the queen, he was shown into a large and 
elegantly furnished drawing room, where he was received by the 
gentleman whom he sought. He saw that there were two other persons 
seated at a table in the room, but, not being introduced to them, proceeded 
with his business. At the close of the interview, as he was about to leave, 
the gentleman remarked, " I am accustomed to have conversations with 
me recorded, and, that there may be no misunderstanding, these my 
amanuenses will read to you what you have said." The visitor was 
thunderstruck. He little thought, while sitting there, that two pair of 
ears were catching up every word that he uttered, and two pair of 
hands were putting it into a permanent record. So with many in this 
world. They seem not to know that there is a Being about their path 
who hears every syllable they utter, and who, "when the books are 
opeued," will bring everything to view. In a late work of fiction, the 
recording angel is represented as dropping a tear, just as he enters the 
celestial gates, upon an oath uttered in haste by a favorite character, 
and blotting it out forever. But that is fiction and not truth. A 
greater than man declares that " whatsoever is spoken in darkness shall 
be heard in the light," and that " every idle word that men shall speak, 
they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." 

Pompeii's Revelations. — "When the long-buried city of Pompeii 
began to be uncovered, men were introduced into the very scenes of 
its home and business life in the days of its glory. The houses were 
opened to view, and the pictures and utensils and statuary and archi- 
tecture, and hundreds of things, disclosed the character and life of the 
people. And the stranger now visiting the unburied city, and walking 
the streets, and going into the houses, and shops, and forums, and 
temples, and theatres, that were crowded with a busy, active, pleasure- 
seeking population, can see for himself just how they lived, and what 
was the nature of their pursuits. And it is a deeply impressive lesson 
to meditate upon ; how after lying eighteen centuries in the grave, 
these things are disclosed to us, and especially how, among the freshest 
of the things preserved, are numerous evidences of the sensual and 
vicious pleasures in which the people indulged. The very works of art 
which ministered to their vices now rise from their graves to testify 
against them. What was done in their houses is now brought to the 
light of day. 

Suppose, now, that our home life could be put into some permanent 
form, and then our houses should be buried by a similar catastrophe, 



XVII 132-34 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 367 



32. H And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, 
some mocked; and others said, We will hear thee again of this 
matter. 

33. So Paul departed from among them. 

34. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed ; among 
the which ivas Dionys'ius the Ar'eop'agite, and a woman named 
Dam'aris, and others with them. 

and at the end of eighteen centuries be brought to ^* v 
light. "What would they disclose to the curious investigators of that 
day ? If, at the great judgment, when the world has risen from the 
grave, there shall be a revelation of all secrets, and an exact picture of 
our homes as they are at present, what shall they see as they gaze upon 
it ? What does God see there now ? " — Anon. 



32. We will Hear Thee Again. — "In the cathedral at Genoa there 
is an emerald vase which is said to have been one of the gifts of the 
Queen of Sheba to Solomon. Its authentic history goes back eight hun- 
dred years. The tradition is that when King Solomon received it he 
filled it with an elixir which he alone knew how to distil, and of which 
a single drop would prolong human life to an indefinite extent. A mis- 
erable criminal, dying of slow disease in prison, besought the king to 
give him a drop of this magic potion. Solomon refused. ' Why should 
I prolong so useless a life ?' he said. ' I will give it to those whose lives 
will bless their fellow-men.' But when good men begged for it the king 
was in an ill-humor or too indolent to open the vase, or he promised and 
forgot. So the years passed until he grew old, and many of the friends 
whom he loved were dead ; and still the vase had never been opened. 
Then the king, to excuse himself, threw doubt upon the virtues of the 
elixir. At last he himself fell ill. Then his servants brought the vase 
that he might save his own life. He opened it. But it was empty. The 
elixir had evaporated to the last drop. Did not the rabbi or priest who 
invented this story intend to convey in it a great truth ? Have we not 
all within us a vessel more precious than any emerald, into which God 
has put a portion of the water of life ? It is for our own healing — for 
the healing of others. We hide it, we do not use it — for false shame, 
or idleness, or forgetfulness. Presently we begin to doubt its efficacy. 
When death approaches, we turn to it in desperate haste. But the 
neglected faith has left the soul. The vase is empty." — Dr. TJwmas, in 
Bib. Illustrator. 

Reference. See on Acts, 24 : 25, "A more convenient season." 



A. D. 52. 

Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 

Paul 
at Athens. 

Three 
Classes of 
Hearers. 



368 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVIII : 1-3 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



1. After these things Paul departed from Ath'ens, and came 
to Cor'inth ; 

2. And found a certain Jew named Aq'uila, born in Pon'tus, 
lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscil'la (because tliat 
Clau'dius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome,) aud 
came unto them. 

3. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, 
and wrought: (for by their occupation they were tent-makers.) 



1. Corinth was called "the Eye of Greece," "The 4* 

Star of Hellas," "The Bridge of the Sea," " The Vanity 

Fair of the Roman Empire," "The Augean stable which the Christian 

Hercules was to Purify, " and with greater labors than Hercules knew. 



. * 

A. D. 52. 

Near the close. 
CORINTH. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 

Paul. 
Tent mak- 
ing. 

CLAUDIUS. EMP. 



Currants is derived from Corinth, whence they were supposed to 
originate. 



Corinth was one of the most wicked cities that ever existed. But 
that was one reason why Paul went there and remained there so long. 
The physician is most attracted to the place where there is the most dis- 
ease, for to cure it is his work. 



3. They Were Tent-makers. — Moses was the son of a poor slave 
Levite; Gideon was a thresher; David was a shepherd boy; Euripides 
was the son of a fruiterer; Virgil of a baker; Horace of a 
freed slave; Tamerlane of a shepherd; Ben Jonson of a Great Men 
mason; Shakespeare of a butcher; Melancthon, the great Who 
theologian of the Reformation, was an armorer; Luther was Learned 
the child of a poor miner; Fuller was a farai servant; Carey, Trades, 
the originator of the plan of translating the Bible into the 
language of the millions of Hindostan, was a shoemaker; Morrison, who 
translated the Bible into the Chinese language, was a last-maker; Dr. 
Milne was a herd-boy ; Adam Clarke was the child of Irish cotters. 

Transfiguration of Labor. — The Gospel enables us to glorify honest 
daily toil by inspiring it with a noble motive, and making it a means to 
worthy ends. What makes the difference between the geologist with 
his hammer, and the man who breaks stones on the road ? — between 



XVIII : 1-3 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



3^ 



the work of caring for old bones in the British Mus- 4 
eum, and that of the old bone man in the streets ? It 
is the mind and purpose they put in it, one working 
only with his hands, the other by the same work 
entering into the mind of the Creator, and reading 
the history God wrote in the rocks ages ago. So the 
motive to do good, the desire for the glory of God, the 
service of Jesus Christ, transfigures and transforms 
daily toil, like the sun shining on the dark fogs and 
clouds of earth, and making them radiant as the gate 
of heaven. 



A. D. 52. 

Near the close. 
CORINTH. 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 

Paul. 
Tentmak- 
ing. 

CLAUDIUS, EMP. 
ROME. 



" Teach me, my God and King, 
In all things thee to see, 
And what I do in anything, 
To do it as for thee. 

"All may of thee partake; 
Nothing can be so mean 
But with this tincture — ' for thy sake,' 
Will not grow bright and clean. 

" A servant with this clause 
Makes drudgery divine; 
Who sweeps a room as for thy laws, 
Makes that and the action fine. 

" This is the famous stone 
That turneth all to gold; 
For that which God doth touch and own 
Cannot for less be told." 

— George Herbert. 



St. Anthony and the Cobler. — "I read once a story of a holy man, 
some say it was S. Anthony, which had been a long season in the wilder- 
ness, eating nor drinking nothing but bread and water: at the length he 
thought himself so holy, that there should be no body like unto him. 
Therefore he desired of God to know who should be his fellow in heaven. 
God made him answer and commanded him to goe to Alexandria, there 
he should find a cobler which should be his fellow in heaven. So he 
went thither and sought him out, and fell acquainted with him, and 
tarried with him 3. or 4. daies to see his conversation [i. e., in the sense 
of Heb. xiii: 7 — ' manner of life' ]. In the morning his wife and he 
[the cobbler] prayed together, then they went to their business, he in 
his shop, and she about her houswifery. At dinner time they had bread 

24 



37o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVIII: 4-6 



4. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews 
and the Greeks. 

6. And when Si'las and Timo'theus were come from Macedo'uia, Paul was 
pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. 

6. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, 
and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from hence- 
forth I will go unto the Gentiles. 



and cheese, wherewith they were well content, and tooke it thankfully. 
Their children were well taught to feare God, and to say their Pater 
noster [the Lord's Prayer] and the creede, and the ten commandments, 
and so he spent his time in doing his duty truely. I warrant you he did 
not so many false stitches as coblers doe now adayes. S. Anthony per- 
ceiving that came to the knowledge of himselfe, and layd away all 
pride and presumption." — Hugh Latimer, in Fifth Sermon on the 
Lord's Prayer. 



Paul Worked With His Hands because he feared lest he should 
hinder the progress of the Gospel if he received aid from such people as 
the Corinthians (1 Cor. 9). So Moody and Sankey have refused to take 
for their own use any of their copyright income from the Gospel Hymns, 
but have had it all put in trust and given away, although it has 
amounted to much more than half a million dollars, and they had as 
much right to it as any man has to his income. But they feared lest the 
receiving of this would injure their Gospel work by giving the impres- 
sion that they were working for money and not for the Lord Jesus. 



5. Pressed, <tw€ix€to. " held together ivith constraint," urged, impelled. 



6. Shook, lKTiva£d[i.evos, shook out, or off from ; shook every particle of 
dust from their garments. 



5. When Silas and Timotheus Were Come. — Their coming gave 
him new courage and strength. See " The Opal," under 3 : 8. 



6. Blasphemed. — " It is said that an eminent person of the present 
day has treasured up 'in a book all the fiercest attacks which have been 
made upon him, and without ever having answered one word either 
good or bad, keeps that book for the amusement of his friends. Better 
perhaps was the observation of another. They cannot harm me by 
what they say of me. I am too near the great White Throne for that." 
— Farrar. 



XVIII : y-g THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 371 

.j, ^ 

7. T[ And he departed thence, and entered into a certain 
mati's house named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose 
house joined hard to the synagogue. 

8. And Cris'pus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed 
on the Lord with all his house ; and many of the Corinthians 
hearing believed, and were baptized. 

9. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be 
not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace : 



9. A vision, opdfiaTos, something seen, " a sight divinely granted in an 
ecstasy, or in sleep" — Thayer. 



9. Be Not Afraid. — We learn from the notices in his letters to the 
Corinthians that Paul was weak and sick, and dejected in spirit, sensi- 
tive, in poverty and loneliness, hated by the Jews, living in fear and 
trembling. He had great need of encouragement. 

Even the most eminent saints and men endowed with an heroic faith 
have had seasons of weakness and discouragement. Abraham before 
Abimelech, Moses in the wilderness, Elijah under the juniper tree, John 
in Macherus castle, even Jesus in Gethsemane. 



Library. — Bunyan's Pilgrims in the dungeon of Giant Despair, who 
yet had with them all the time the key of Hope with which they could 
have been delivered, but it had lain in Hopeful's bosom unnoticed. 



Luther's Experience. — " At one time I was sorely vexed and tried 
by my own sinfulness, by the wickedness of the world, and by the dan- 
gers that beset the church. One morning I saw my wife dressed in 
mourning. Surprised, I asked her who had died. ' Do you not know ? ' 
she replied. ' God in heaven is dead.' ' How can you talk such non- 
sense, Katie ?' I said. ' How can God die ? Why, he is immortal, and 
will live through all eternity.' ' Is that really true?' she asked. 'Of 
course,' I said, still not perceiving what she was aiming at; 'how can 
you doubt it ? As surely as there is a God in heaven, so sure is it that 
He can never die.' 'And yet.' she said, ' though you do not doubt that, 
yet you are so hopeless and discouraged.' Then I observed what a wise 
woman my wife was, and mastered my sadness." — Luther. 



Butterfly Safe Within Glass. — "A lady was awakened one 
morning by a strange noise of pecking at the window, and when she 
got up, she saw a butterfly flying backwards and forwards inside the 
window in a great fright, because outside there was a sparrow pecking 



A. ». 53. 

Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Corinth. 
Paul's 
Vision. 



372 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVIII : 7-9 



the glass, wanting to reach the butterfly. Tne butterfly did not see the 
glass, but it saw the sparrow, and evidently expected every moment to 
be caught. Neither did the sparrow see the glass, though it saw the 
butterfly, and made sure of catching it. Yet all the while the butterfly, 
because of that thin, invisible sheet of glass, was actually as safe as if it 
had been miles away from the sparrow/' — James Inglis. 



Library. — Bunyan's picture of the valley of the shadow of death in 
Pilgrim's Progress. Gyges' ring that rendered him invisible, described 
in Plato's Republic. The flower given to Ulysses by which he was safe 
when he went into Circe's magic and dangerous palace. (See Haw- 
thorne's Tanglewood Tales.) 



Iceberg Stable in the Sea. — " The Christian in the world is like an 
iceberg in a swelling sea. Ships strain and shiver in the agitated 
waters. But the iceberg casts off the breakers unmoved, and stands 
stable, like the everlasting hills. The reason is its bulk is embedded in 
calm water beneath the tumult that rages on the surface. Although 
Christians float in the same sea of life with other men, and waves break 
over them, they remain unmoved, because the chief part of their being 
lies deep beyond the reach of those superficial commotions." — Wm. 
Arnot. 



The True Safety Lamp. — They tell you of the Davy safety lamp. 
The true safety lamp that no gust of earthly winds can ever put out, 
that no wind from hell can touch, is the lamp of God's presence. 



In the Night by a Vision. — There are not a few instances in the 
Bible where God spoke to men through dreams : as to Abraham, Jacob, 
Joseph, Pharaoh — interpreted by Joseph, Solomon, Daniel, 
Nebuchadnezzar — interpreted by Daniel — Joseph, the hus- Examples 
band of Mary, Pilate's wife, Paul. In Job are two instances of Visions, 
of instruction through dreams — the vivid vision of Eliphaz 
(Job 4 : 13-17), and in the speech of Elihu (Job 33 : 13-18). In Joel (2 : 
28, 29) there is a prophesy quoted in the Acts (2 : 17, 18) that " your 
daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and 
your old men shall dream dreams." 



Visions From Pillows of Stone. — God spoke to Jeremiah in prison, 
and gave wonderful revelations to John the Apostle in exile. The val- 
ley of humiliation and of the shadow of death is often the way to the 
land of Beulah and the Delectable Mountains, Often from a pillow of 



XVIII : IO-I2 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 373 



10. For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt 
thee: for I have much people in this city. 

11. Aud he continued there a year and six months, teaching 
the word of God among them. 

12. \ And when -Gal'lio was the deputy of A-eha'ia, the Jews 
made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought 
him to the judgment seat, 



stones come, as to Jacob at Bethel, the brightest visions of the soul. 
From weariness, and pain, and trouble arise the steps that lead to 
heaven. Stephen, when stoned by a mob, saw the heaven opened, and 
Jesus on the right hand of God. Paul from a Roman prison saw his 
crown of righteousness. 



Library. — In Arnold's Light of Asia, the king has a vision, but he 
misunderstands it. He sees what seem to him seven great fears, 
importing ruin to him and his kingdom. But his wise men show him 
that each several fear was in reality a great joy. 



Why Miracles Were Needed Then. — We have less need of God's 
messages through visions and dreams than in the earlier years of the 
church. " If you plant a tree in an orchard, it is very common to put a 
big stake by the side of it to keep it up. Nobody thinks of putting a 
post to support an apple-tree which has been there for the last fifty 
years. The Church of God to-day is a tree that needs no support of 
miracle and vision. You have the Word of God, which is better than 
visions." — Chas. Spurgeon. 

Reference. See under xix. ii. 



Speak ; Hold Not Thy Peace. — " How to beat the French," was the 
title of a lecture delivered in 1860 by Prince Frederick 
Charles, then a young soldier with abundant enthusiasm, Defense 
but no fauie. One of the chief points — borrowed, by the by Attack, 
way, confessedly, from the French tactics — was this : 
"Never defend passively, hut offensively.'" — The Advance. The same 
principle is taught by the Latin proverb from the history of the wars of 
Rome with Carthage, "Carry the war into Africa." 



10. I am with Thee. — 

" Who comes to God an inch, through doubtings dim, 
In blazing light God will advance a mile to him." — Rabia. 



A.D. 53,54. 

Second 
Missionary 

Journey. 

Corinth. 



3/4 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XVIII : 1 3-2 1 



13. Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. 

14. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, T&al'lio said unto the Jews, 
If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, 0 ye Jews, reason would that I 
should bear with you : 

15. But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to %t ; 
for I will be no judge of such matters. 

16. And he drave them from the judgment seat. 

17. Then all the Greeks took Sos'thenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and 
beat him before the judgment seat. And Gal' lid cared for none of those things. 

18. IF And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave 
of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscil'la and Aq'uila; 
having shorn his head in Cenchre'a : for he had a vow. 

19. And he came to Eph'esiis, aud left them there: but he himself entered into 
the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. 

20. "When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not ; 

21. But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that 
cometh in Jerusalem : but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed 
from Eph'esus. 



I Have Much People in this City.— Michael Angelo, the wonderful 
artist, walking with some friends one day through an obscure street in 
Florence, saw a block of marble, rough, shapeless, stained, lying amid 
a heap of rubbish. Others had passed by it carelessly, but 
his keen eye saw that it was a treasure, and he fell to The Angel 
cleansing away the filth that obscured it. ' ' What are you in the 
doing with that worthless rock ? " asked one of his friends. Marble 
'•' Oh," says Angelo, " there is an angel in that block, aud I 
must get it out." So God saw in sinful humanity, stained, defiled, and 
wretched, the possibility of angels and saints redeemed. It is this possi- 
bility that made it worth while for Christ to die for men. It is this 
which should incite us to labor with long patience, that men may be 
saved. 



11. A Year and Six Months.— During this time Paul wrote the two 
Epistles to the Thessalonians. 

In a later visit, A. D. 58, he wrote from Corinth the Epistles to the 
Galatians and to the Romans. 

He also wrote two Epistles to the Corinthians, one probably from 
Ephesus, and the other from Philippi. 



14. Lewdness (paSiovpyn^a). — See on ch. 13:10. It means originally 
ease or facility of doing. And from the easiness of sinning, the "facilis 
descensus Averni," and from the facility gained in the practice of 
crime, the word comes to mean villainy, recklessness in crime. 



XVIII : 22-28 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 375 

* * 

22. And when he had landed at Ces'are'a, and gone up, and 
saluted the church he went down to An'tioch. 

23. And after he had spent some time there, he departed, 
and went over all the country of Gala'tia and Phryg'ia in order, 
strengthening all the disciples. 

24. 1F And a certain Jew named Apol'los, born at Al'exan'dria, 
an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to 
Eph'esus. 

25. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and 
being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the 
things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 

26. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue : whom 
when Aq'uila and Priscil'la had heard, they took him unto them, 
and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 

27. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the 
brethren w r rote, exhorting the disciples to receive him : who, when he was come, 
helped them much which had believed through grace: 

23. For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the 
Scriptures that Jesus was Christ. 



24. Eloquent (Xo-yios'. — As \6-yos means either reason or speech, so 
this derivative may signify either one who has thought much, and has 
much to say, or one who can say it well. — M. R. Vincent in Word 
Studies. 

25. Fervent, £e'cov, boiling hot, bubbling up icith heat, hence of the 
spirit, boiling hot with emotion, intense of feeling. Fervent, from the 
Latin ferveo, to boil with heat is the exact translation of the Greek. 



27. Helped, o-wcpdXcTo, to bring or throw together, to contribute (con- 
tribuere, to bring or grant together with others). He brought whatever 
of knowledge or experience or talent he had, together with theirs, added 
it to theirs, and thus helped them. 



A. ». 54. 
Close of 
Second 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Cesarea, 
Jerusalem, 

Antioeh. 
Beginning 

of Third 
Missionary 
Journey, 
Asia 
Minor, 
Ephesus. 

Paul. 
Apollos. 



376 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XIX: 1-5 



CHAPTER XIX. 



1. And it came to pass, that, while Apol'los was at Cor'inth, 
Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Eph'esus; 
and finding certain disciples, 

2. He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since 
ye believed ? And they said unto him, We have not so much 
as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 

3. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? 
And they said, Unto John's baptism. 

4. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of 

repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe ^ 

on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 

5. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 



We Have not so Much as Heard. — A poor farmer owned a piece 
of hard, rocky land from which, at the price of only the severest toil, he 
was able to support his family. He died and bequeathed his farm to 
his eldest son. By an accident the son discovered traces of gold on the 
land, which, being explored, was found to contain mineral 
wealth of immense value. The father had had precisely Unconscious 
the same property which the son now possessed, but while Wealth, 
the one lived and died a poor man the other became inde- 
pendently rich. And yet the difference between the two depended 
entirely upon the fact that the son knew what he had, and the father 
did not know. It is not what we have, but what we know that we 
have, which determines our material or spiritual wealth. 



' ' Whoever says he wants no more 
Confesses he has none." 



" Tis life, whereof our nerves are scant ; 
O, Life, not Death, for which we pant ; 
More life and fuller, that we want." 

— Tennyson. 



A. D. 54. 
Third 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Ephesus. 
The New 
Pentecost. 

CLAUDIUS DIES 
OCT., A. D. 54. 
NERO, EMP. 
ROME. 



Picture. — Paul at Ephesus, Dore. 



XIX: 6-10 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 377 

* . * 

6. And when Paul had laid Ms hands upon them, the Holy 
Ghost came on them ; and they spake with tongues, and 
prophesied. 

7. And all the men were about twelve. 

8. And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the 
space of three months, disputing and persuading the things 
concerning the kingdom of God. 

9. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but 
spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from 
them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school 
of one Tyrannus. 

10. And this continued by the space of two years ; so that all they which dwelt 
in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 



New Power of the Holy Spirit. — The two ways of living repre- 
sented by the baptism of John, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, may 
be illustrated (i) by a boat rowed with great toil against wind and tide, 
compared with the same boat sweeping over the waves, with sails filled 
with a favoring wind; (2) by the efforts to remove the snow and ice of 
winter by shovels and dynamite, and their removal by the warm breath 
of spring ; (3) by our experience with house plants in an unfavorable 
exposure. By constant care, by destroying the insects, by picking off 
the dead leaves, something can be done ; but what gives them good 
health and bloom is fresh air and plenty of sunshine pouring into them 
new life. 



Two Pictures of Rembrandt. — "A friend of mine told me that he 
saw in a city in Belgium two pictures painted by the same hand. One 
was the first work that ever came from the hand of the artist Rem- 
brandt, — a little picture, almost like a daub in its appearance, the first 
effort of his youthful genius. The other was his masterpiece; and there 
hung the two side by side. Now, what made the vast difference 
between those two pictures ? Each was wrought by the same hand ; 
each was inspired by the same genius ; each came out of the same mind. 
That which made the difference between the two is just expressed in 
the one word ' training' — in another phrase, spiritual power." — J. L. 
Hurlbut, D. D. 

Light on the Mountain Tops, Dark in the Valleys. —Who can 
ever forget a sunrise in the High Alps ! Every mountain catches the 
light according to the height which the upheaving forces that God set in 
motion have given it. First, the point of Monte Rosa is kissed by the 
morning beams, then the Bretthorn and the dome of Mischabel, and 
the Matterhorn, and twenty other grand mountains, receive in turn the 
gladdening rays, bask each for a moment, and then remain bathed in 



A.». 54-57. 

Third 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Ephesus. 

Paul 
Teaching 
in the 
Lecture 
Room of 
Tyrannus. 



373 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIXiIl-i; 



11. And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul : 

12. So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, 
and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. 

13. T[ Then certain of the vagabond Jews, ex'orcists, took upon them to call over 
them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by 
Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 

14. And there were seven sons of one Sco'va, a Jew and chief of the priests, 
which did so. 

15. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know ; but 
who are ye ? 

16. And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and over-came 
them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and 
wounded. 

17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Eph'esus 
and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 



sunlight. Meanwhile the valleys between lie as dark and dismal as 
death. But the shadows gradually lessen, and soon vanish altogether. 
So the work of the Spirit within us should be like the shining light, 
shining more and more unto the perfect day. — Pres. James McCosh, 
L.L. D. 



11. Special Miracles. — " Miracles are the swaddling clothes of the 
infant Churches, and not the garments of the full-grown. 

They were as the proclamation that the King was mount- Miracles 
ing on his throne. When He sits acknowledged on His needed in 
throne the proclamation ceases. They were like the frame- early times, 
work on which the arch rested, but which is taken down 
when the arch is completed." — Trench. 

" Miracles in our time are like candles in the street at midday. They 
are the educating expedients of the early periods of the Church, and no 
more needed now than a well man needs a staff or a grown-up child a 
walking-stool." — Quoted by Dr. Doherty. 

Reference. — See under xviii. 9. 

12. Brought unto the Sick, Handkerchiefs. — " There is a pretty 
legend, significant of a deep spiritual truth. It is said that 
Barnabas after separating from Paul, preached in Greece, Legend 
Italy, and Asia Minor ; and that everywhere he carried the of 
Gospel of St. Matthew written by the hand of the evange- Barnabas, 
list. Wherever he found any sick, he laid the sacred roll 

on their breasts, and they, were healed. It is only a legend, yet it is 
beautifully symbolic of the healing and vivifying power of God's Word." 
— Golden Rule. 



XIX:l8-20 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 379 



18 And many that believed came, aud confessed, and shewed 
their deeds. 

19. Many of them also which used curious arts brought tbeir 
books together, and burned them before all men: and they 
counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces 
of silver. 

20. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. 



15. (Jesus) I know, yivwo-ko), recognize as the son of 
God. (Paul) I know, €irio-Tafj.ai. am acquainted with, understand. 



Library. — Dr. Nevius, Demon Possession and allied Themes. 
Reference. — See under 16:16; "The damsel with a spirit of divination.'' 



Undiscovered Forces. — "The great solid conviction which science, 
wiflhin the past three centuries, has enabled thinking men and women 
to settle down on, is that all discovered and systematized knowledge is 
as nothing compared with the undiscovered, and that a boundless uni- 
verse of unimagined facts and forces interpenetrates and encompasses 
what seems the universe to us." — Address by Pres. Eliot, delivered 
to the students of the Woman's College, Baltimore, on " College Day," 
November 7th, 1895. 



19. Curious Arts, —to, irepiepva, the adjective means ' ' busy about trifles 
and neglectful of important matters," over-busy, busy-bodies. The 
action is excessive compared with the value of the art. 

Vs. 18, 19. " Like other grocers, Samuel Budgett, the ' Successful 
Merchant ' had been in the habit of adulterating his pepper with some 
innocent preparation, which he kept in a little barrel 
labeled P. D. — pepper dust, But as he grew in Christian Pepper 
intelligence his conscience troubled him about the matter, Dust, 
until one night he rose from his bed, went to his store, took 
the little barrel, and knocked in the ends of it. Is there no P. D. about 
you? If there be, do as Budgett did: Knock it on the head." —W. M. 
Taylor, D. D. 



Library. — Comstock's Traps for the Young. The tract Captain 
BalVs experience. 



"r "t" 

A. S>. 56 or 
57. 
Third 
^lissionary 
Journey. 
E plie mis. 
Burning 
the Ulagic 
Books. 



St. Chrysostom, and the Books of Magic. — "We learn from St. 
Chrysostorn himself that when a young man he had a narrow escape 



38o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIX: 21-25 



21. I] After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had 
passed through Macedo'ma and Aeha'ia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have 
been there, I must also see Rome. 

22. So he sent into Macedo'ma two of them that ministered unto him, TimO'theus 
and Eras'tus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season. 

23. And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. 

24. For a certain man named Demet'rius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines 
for Dia'na, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen ; 

25. Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, 
Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. 



for his life owing to the continuance of magical practices in Antioch, 
more than three hundred years after St. Paul. The story is an interest- 
ing one. It will be found in Stephens' Life of St. Chrysostom, p. 61. 
The Emperor Valens had discovered that some of his enemies had been 
endeavoring, through magical contrivances something like table-rap- 
ping, to spell out the name of his successor, and had succeeded so far 
that they had found out the first part of the name as Theod, but the 
oracle could tell nothing more. The jealous Emperor ordered every 
prominent man with the names Theodore or Theodosius to be slain, 
vainly thinking to kill his own successor. He also ordered eveiw one 
found with magical books in his possession to be at once slain. 
Chrysostom and a friend were walking in A. D. 374 on the banks of the 
Orontes when they saw a book floating down the stream. They 
stretched forth and rescued it, when, seeing that it was a magical 
book, they at once flung it back into the river, and not a moment too 
soon, as just then a police officer on detective duty appeared on the 
scene, from whom a moment earlier they could not have escaped. St. 
Chrysostom always regarded this as one of the great escapes of his life: 
see Art. "Chrysostom" in Diet. Christ. Biog., vol i., p. 520, and his 
own reference to the escape in his 38th Homily on the Acts, translated 
in the Oxford Library of the Fathers ! " — Prof. Stokes. 



24. Shrines op Diana. — It is sail that the idolaters thought it a 
wonderful invention when they thought of the plan of making small 
shrines of Diana and her temple, which they called Dianeans, little 
Dianas, so that they could have their goddess always with them, at 
home, in their business, on their travels, and were no 
longer restricted in their worship to the temple at Ephesus. Dianeans, 
So Christians have been called little Christs, representatives Christians, 
on a small scale and of inferior magnificance, of the charac- 
ter, life and teachings of Jesus the Christ. So that wherever there 
are Christians, men may get some idea of the Saviour, and be led to 
love and worship him. 



XIX: 26-41 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



381 



A. ». 57. 
Third 

Missionary 
Journey. 
Ephesus. 
The Mob. 



26. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Eph'esus, but 
almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned 
away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are 
made with hands ; 

27. So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at 
naught; but also that the temple of the great goddess Dia'na 
should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, 
whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. 

28. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, 
saying, Great is Dia'na of the Ephe'sians. 

29. And the whole city was filled with confusion : and having caught Gaius and 
Ar'istar'chus, men of Macedo'nia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one 
accord into the theatre. 

30. And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered 
him not. 

31. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desir- 
ing him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre. 

32. Some therefore cried one thing, and some another; for the assembly wjis 
confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. 

33. And they drew Alexan'der out of the multitude, the Jews putting him for- 
ward. And Alexan'der beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence 
unto the people. 

34. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of 
two hours cried out, Great is Dia'na of the Ephe'sians. 

35. And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Eph'esus, 
what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Eph'eslans is a wor- 
shipper of the great goddess Dia'na, and of theimage which fell down from Ju'piter. 

36. Seeing then that these things canuot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, 
and to do nothing rashly. 

37. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, 
nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. 

38. Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a mat- 
ter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies : let them implead one 
another. 

39. But if ye inquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined 
in a lawful assembly. 

40. For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there 
being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. 

41. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly. 



35. Worshipper (vecoKopov). "Lit., a temple- sweeper. This title, 
originally applied to the lowest menials of the temple, became a title of 
honor, and was eagerly appropriated by the most famous cities. " — M. R. 
Vincent. 



382 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XX: 1-5 



CHAPTER XX. 



1. And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the 
disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into 
Ma'cedo'nia. 

2. And when he had gone over those parts, and had given 
them much exhortation, he came into Greece, 

3. And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid 
wait for him, as he was about to sail into SyVia, he purposed 
to return throngh Macedo'ma. 

4. And there accompanied him into Asia Sop'ater of Bere'a; 
and of the Thes'salO'nians, Arista'rehus and Secun'dus; and **" 
Gaius of Der'be, and Timo'theus; and of Asia, Tych'icus and Troph'imus. 

5. These going before tarried for us at Tro'as. 



Light from the Epistles. — The Epistles written during this period 
throw no little light upon the work of Paul and the diffi- 
culties against which he contended. See Harmonies of the Library. 
Acts and Epistles, by Profs. Burton and Stevens, and by- 
Goodwin ; and Paley's Horce Paulinas. 



A. D. 57. 

May. 
Third 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Last Year. 
Epliesus to 
Macedonia. 

NERO, EMP. 
ROME. 



Harmony of the Epistles and the Acts. — " On a late visit to the 
British Museum, the author could not but greatly admire the consum- 
mate ingenuity displayed in uniting together, each in its proper place, 
the numerous scattered and disjointed fragments of statues and of long 

inscriptions In the present, as in many other portions of this 

work, we are forcibly reminded of some such illustration as the above. 
"We have to frame and fit together fragments from sundry Epistles, 
written about the same time by two authors, and relating to the same 
course of events. If we can adjust them to each other, so as to form a 
harmonious and connected whole, we know that our materials are genu- 
ine. . . . The scientific people tell us, in accents of the mildest and 
the gentlest, that our documents will not bear examination, that they 
are fragmentary and unsatisfactory. . . . But if ever historical evi- 
dence was strong, nay, irresistible, it is that which connects the Acts 
with the Epistles ; it is that which connects parts of the Acts and parts 
of the Epistles, one with another, into one uniform, entirely satisfactory 
body of documentary historical evidence." — Matheson : St. Paul, pp. 
423, 424. 



XX : 6, 7 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 383 



6. And we sailed away from Philip'pl after the days of un- 
leavened bread, and came unto them to Tro'as in five days; 
where we abode seven days. 

7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples 
came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready 
to depart on the morrow ; and continued his speech until 
midnight. 



7. Preached. — SieXe'-ycTo, to think or speak different 
things, with one's self or with others ; hence to con- 
verse, to argue, to discuss. "Our word dialogue is 
derived from this word." 



7. Continued Until Midnight. — ' ' Andrew Fuller did right well that 
day in Kettering when, observing several in his congregation give way 
almost at the beginning of the service, he flung consternation into their 
heavy-headed midst by bringing down the big Bible three times on the 
desk, and exclaiming, ' What ! asleep already ! I often fear I preach 
you asleep, and grieve over it ; but the fault cannot be mine to-day, for 
I have not yet begun ! ' Ah ! but there is in the church to-day a sleep 
worse a million times than this excusable napping of the lad Eutychus 
— the slumber inexcusable and profound of the unsaved soul ! Asleep 
in the arms of the sleepless devil, who keeps cuddling and crooning over 
you as the anxious mother does over the starting, nervous child lest the 
slumber should be anywise broken. Around you now, unconverted 
church member, are ease, and comfort, and prosperity. A 
cosy position brings drowsiness, and it has brought it to you. Sleeping 
You are asleep now, asleep in the never-dying soul of you, in Church, 
asleep in the Kirk of God ! How to arouse you from this 
slumber, how to awaken you from this sleep of the spirit, is the prob- 
lem that presses for immediate solution. Oh, to lift the knocker of your 
slumbering soul-chamber, and give one mighty house-quivering crash 
this day ! Why, I heard of a man on whom this awful sleep of indiffer- 
ence had stolen till nigh shaken to pieces in a carriage collision, who 
remarked as he drew a long breath at the very thought of it, ' Ay, God 
knocks hard sometimes. Before I would awake, he knocked me fifty 
feet down a railway embankment ! ' A hard knock indeed, because a 
loving one ! And such may be yours. ' Sleeper, arise and call upon 
thy God!' for ' now it is high time to awake out of sleep.' 'The 
night is far spent, the day is at hand.'" — Sermon by J. Robertson. 



A. D. 58. 

At Philippi 
from Mch. id- 
Apr. 3. 
At Troas Apr. 
8-17. 

Tliird 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Returning 

Home. 

Troas. 



Short Sermons. — " One day I was hurrying along Argyle street 
to keep an appointment when a friend stopped me and said, 'Mr. 



384 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XX: 8-12 



8. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered 
together. 

9. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eu'tychus, being fallen 
into a deep sleep : and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and 
fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 

10. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not 
yourselves; for his life is in him. 

11. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and 
talked along while, even till break of day, so he departed. 

12. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. 



Scott, you sometimes preach?' 'Yes, often.' 'Well, I'll tell you a 
story for your own benefit. In the country side from which I come 
there lives a woman called Mrs. Thomson, who had the name of making 
the best porridge in the country, in fact she was quite famous for her 
porridge, the flavor was so fine, and it was so smooth and free from 
knots. Her neighbors began to be anxious, and after a deal of talk 
decided to go in a body and ask the secret. This was the reply, ' Take 
care that your guests are hungry and that you don't give them too 
much ; if you stop while they have an appetite for more, they will say, 
" How good the porridge is,' but if you give them too much they will 
say, "a little of that is plenty." ' I try to take the advice always when 
I am preaching, and when I do I find it successful." — J. Scott, in Bib. 
Illustrator. 



11. Talked, ojxiX^o-as, from 6u,i\os (6u,ov, together, UXtj, acroivd), a mul- 
titude gathered together, a throng : hence to associate icith, to talk with, 
familiarly, conversationally. It represents a less formal discourse than 
the "preached" of ver. 7. 



9. Fallen Into a Deep Sleep. — A man among the ice fields of the 
Swiss mountains, weary and cold, lies down to sleep in a cave. 

" Here is the very shelter, the bield side of a crag ! Asleep ! Ay, for- 
ever ! • The Ice-Maiden,' as they say in Danish song, ' has kissed him,' 
and the press of that kiss on the cheek pledges to him the never-awak- 
ing ! Sleeper, sleep on, but the sleep slips into a frozen death ! To 
sleep is to die, and he is asleep, and he is dead, and the other shepherds 
will tenderly lift him up in the clear calm of the fury-spent morning, a 
glazed corpse, a lump of lifeless ice ! So, unconverted soul, sleeper in 
the Kirk of God, in this sleep of yours death has already begun. You 
have been kissed by the Ice-Maiden of a lost-eternity." — J. Robertson. 



Putting the Church to Sleep. — Some one lias illustrated the clan- 
ger of a sleeping church by representing Satan as offering a prize to the 



XX: 13-20 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 385 



13. - [f And we went before to ship, and sailed unto As'sos, 
there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, mind- 
ing himself to go afoot. 

14. And when he met with us at As'sos, we took him in, and 
came to Mit'yle'ne. 

15. And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against 
■Chi'os ; and the next day we arrived at Sa'mos, and tarried at 
TrogyTlmm ; and the next day we came to Mile'tus. 

16. For Paul had determined to sail by Eph'esus, because he 
would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were 
possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pen'tecost. 

17. 11 And from Mile'tus he sent to Eph'esus, and called the 
elders of the church. 

18. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye 
know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what 
manner I have been with you at all seasons, 

19. Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and 
temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews : 

20. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed 
you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, 



demon who should do the most harm to the kingdom of God. One sank 
a ship with 500 Christians, — " but all went straight to heaven." One 
aroused a terrible persecution, — the result was shining martyr crowns, 
and the " blood of the martyrs the seed of the church." But the prize 
was given to the one who by the enchantment of prosperity, and the 
soothing song of wotidliness, put a church to sleep. 



Jonah, asleep in a storm, dreaming of home, and life and success, 
while the storm was hastening him toward destruction. 



16. Spend the Time. — xP 0V0T P l P i l 0 " ai > from xp° v °s, time, and Tpipw, 
to rub, to wear out by rubbing. " The sense is nearly equivalent to our 
expression, fritter aivay time." — M R. Vincent. 



19. With All Humility. — Paul set Christ forward and kept himself 
in the background. Steam when visible as a cloud has little power. 
The steam that drives the engine and does the work is invisible. Watch 
the hot steam from the tea-kettle, invisible when it first pours out. 



20. Kept Back (flireo-TeiXdjuiv). — " A picturesque word. Originally, 
to draw in or contract. Used of furling sails, and of closing the 
fingers ; of drawing back for shelter ; of keeping back one's real 
25 



A. D. 58. 

Leaves Troas, 
Mon., Apr. 17. 
Tues., Aj>r. 18, 

to Chios. 
Wed., Apr. 19, 

to Samos. 
Thurs. Apr. 20, 

to M 'let us. 
Sun., Apr. 23, 
Paul's Address 
to the Elders 
of EpJiesus. 

Third 

Missionary 
Journey. 

Return 

Voyage. 



3 86 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XX:I3~20 



thoughts ; by physicians, of withholding food from patients. It is 
rather straining a point to say, as Canon Farrar, that Paul is using a 
nautical metaphor suggested by his constantly hearing the word for 
furling sail used during his voyage. Paul's metaphors lie mainly on 
the lines of military life, architecture, agriculture, and the Grecian 
games." — Prof. M. R. Vincent in Word Studies. 



20. Kept Nothing Back That Was Profitable.— 
" It isn't the thing you do, dear, 
It's the thing you leave undone, 
That gives you a bit of heartache 

At the setting of the sun. 
The tender word forgotten, 

The letter you did not write, 
The flower you did not send, dear, 
Are your haunting ghosts at night. 

" The stone you might have lifted 

Out of a brother's way ; 
The bit of heartsome counsel 

You were hurried too much to say ; 
The loving touch of the hand, dear, 

The gentle, winning tone, 
Which you had no time nor thought for, 

With troubles enough of your own. 

" Those little acts of kindness 
• So easily out of mind, 
Those chances to be angels 

Which we poor mortals find, 
They come in night and silence, 

Each sad, reproachful wraith, 
When hope is faint and flagging, 

And a chill has fallen on faith. 

" For life is all too short, dear, 

And sorrow is all too great, 
To suffer our slow compassion, 

That tarries until too late ; 
And it isn't the thing you do, dear, 

It's the thing you leave undone, 
Which gives you a bit of heartache - 

At the setting of the sun." 

— Margaret Sangster. 



XX: 21-24 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



387 



21. Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, re- 
pentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 

22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, 
not knowing the things that shall befall me there: 

23. Save that the Holy Ghost witnessethin every city, saying 
that bonds and afflictions abide me. 

24. But none of these things move me, neither count I my 
life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with 
joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, 
to testify the Gospel of the grace of God. 

22. Bound, ScSep-e'vos, from Sew, to bind ; hence fas- 
tened as ivith chains, to his purpose, his sense of duty. 



A. ». 58. 

Sun., Apr. 23. 
MILETUS. 

Tnird 

Missionary 
Journey. 

Homeward 
Voyage. 
Paul's 
Address 

to the 
Epliesian 
Elders. 



24. Course, Spo^ov, from 8pajA€tv, Se'Spojxa, to run, hence a race, a race 
course, the length of the stadium, a course or heat in the race. Paul 
through all his ministry had been striving in a race for the goal of 
Christ's Kingdom on earth, and the crown of victory. (1 Cor. ix : 24-27; 
Phil, iii : 13-14 ; 2 Tim. iv. 7). 



22. Not Knowing the Things That Shall Befall Me. — 
" Down deep in the hold of the vessel 
The ponderous engine lies , 
And faithfully there the engineer 
His labor steadily plies. 

" He knows not the course of the vessel, 
He knows not the way he should go; 
He minds his simple duty 
And keeps the fires aglow. 

■ ' He knows not whether the billows 
The bark may overwhelm; 
He knows and obeys the orders 
Of the pilot at the helm. 

" And so in the wearisome journey 
Over life's troubled sea, 
I know not the way I am going, 
But Jesus shall pilot me. 

" And so when wearied and baffled, 
And I know not which way to go, 
I know that He can guide me 

And 'tis all that I need to know." 

— Foster's Cyc. of Poetical Illustrations. 



388 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XX : 21-24 



Fixed Stars Behind the Meteors. — In the gloomiest period of the 
war, he had a call from a large delegation of bank presidents. In the 
talk after business was settled, one of the bankers asked Mr. Lincoln if 
his confidence in the permanency of the Union was not beginning to 
be shaken — whereupon, says Walt Whitman, the homely President told 
a little story. 

" When I was a young man in Illinois," said he, "I boarded for a 
time with a deacon of the Presbyterian church. One night 
I was roused from my sleep by a rap at the door, and I Lincoln's 
heard the deacon's voice exclaiming, ' Arise Abraham! the Story, 
day of judgment has come! ' 

' ' I sprang from my bed and rushed to the window, and saw the stars 
falling in great showers; but looking back of them in the heavens I saw 
the grand old constellations, with which I was so well acquainted, fixed 
and true in their places. 

" Gentlemen, the world did not come to an end then, nor will the 
Union now."' — Youth's Companion. 

" I know not the way I am going 
But well do I know my Guide, 
With childlike trust I give my hand 

To the mighty friend at my side, 
And the only thing I say to Him, 
As he takes it, is, Hold it fast; 
Suffer me not to lose my way, 
And lead me home at last." 

— Mrs. M. S. B. D. Schindler. 

23. None of These Things Move Me. 

Pompey and Duty. — " Life is a matter of very small account to any 
one in comparison with duty-doing; whether a man realizes this truth 
or not. Whatever is worth living for is worth dying for, if dying be an 
incident to its pursuing. When the Roman general, Pompey, was 
warned against the danger of his returning from Egypt to Italy, to 
meet a new trouble in his own land, his heroic answer was: ' It is a 
small matter that I should move forward and die. It is too great a mat- 
ter that I should take one step backward and live. ' Life is never well 
used when it is held dearer than duty. He who would tell a lie in order 
to live is willing to pay a great deal larger price for his life than that 
life is worth to himself — or to others." — II. C. Trumbull. 



Illustrations of Boldness in Duty. — John Knox before Queen Mary. 
Luther at the Diet of Worms. The Madagascar Christian martyrs 
described by Mr. Ellis in his book on Madagascar. 



XX : 25-27 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



389 



25. And now, behold, I know that ye all, amoug whom I have 
gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. 

26. Wherefore 1 take you to record this day, that I am pure 
from the blood of all men. 

27. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the coun- 
sel of God. 

23. Bonds and Afflictions Abide Me.— 

" Does the road wind up-hill all the way? 
Yes, to the very end.'''' — Christina G. Rossetti. 



A. D. 58. 

Sun., Apr. 23. 
MILETUS. 

Third 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Homeward 
Voyage. 
Paul's 
Address 

to the 
Ephesian 
Elders. 



Thou hast said it: Up-hill to the very end! 

But what of that? Would'st have it different, friend ? 

Nay; thou would'st not. The ascent gives vision new, 

The outlook grows grander, and wider the view. 

Should 'st thou stay content in the valley below, 

Great would thy loss be; it were better I trow, 

To climb, and keep climbing, through the long weary day. 

Him choose for thy guide who is Life, Truth, and Way. 

He will carry thy burdens; keep nothing back. 

He knoweth the way; follow close in his track. 

Purer each storm makes the air, and so, clearer; 
The way seems less steep, and the goal looks nearer. 
And what of the heights thou art gaining to-day? 
Is there not new beauty each step of the way? 
Is there not less of smoke and of fogs that obscure ? 
And hast thou not gained needed strength to endure ? " 

— Mary A. S. Gray, Portland, Oregon. 



24. Finish My Course. — 

" Oh that each in the day 
Of his coming may say: 

* I have fought my way through; 

I have finished the work thou didst give me to do/ 

" Oh that each from his Lord 
May receive the glad word: 

• Well and faithfully done; 

Enter into my joy, and sit down dh my throne.' " 



26. Take You to Record. — |iapT<ipo|jiai, call you to ivitness ; summon 
you into the court as witnesses. 



390 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XIII : 28-30 



28. H Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which 
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath 
purchased with his own blood. 

21). For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in 
among you, not sparing the flock. 

30. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw 
away disciples after them. 



27. Pure from the Blood of All Men. — " Son of man, speak to the 
children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon 
a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him 
for their watchman : If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, 
he blow the trumpet, and warn the people ; Then whosoever heareth 
the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning ; if the sword come, 
and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard 
the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning ; his blood shall be 
upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if 
the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the 
people be not warned ; if the sword come, and take any person from 
among them, he is taken away in his iniquity ; but his blood will I 
require at the watchman's hand." — Ezekiel, 33 : 2-6. 

27. Declare All the Counsel of God. — See on iv : 20, Hugh Lati- 
mer and Henry VIII. 

The Tenderness of Telling the Truth. — "A farmer who is too 
tender-hearted to tear up and harrow the land will never see a harvest. 
Here is the failing of certain divines, they are afraid of hurting any 
one's feelings, and so they keep clear of all the truths which are likely 
to excite fear or grief. They have not a sharp ploughshare on their 
premises, and are never likely to have a stack in their rickyard. It is 
much the same as if a surgeon should permit a patient to die because he 
would not pain him with the lancet, or by the necessary removal of a 
limb. It is a terrible tenderness which leaves men to sink into hell 
rather than distress their minds. It is a diabolical love which denies 
the eternal danger which assuredly exists and argues the soul into pre- 
sumption, because it thinks it a pity to excite terror, and so much more 
pleasant to prophesy smooth things. Is this the spirit of Christ? Did 
He conceal the sinner's peril ? Did He cast doubts upon the unquench- 
able fire and the undying worm? Did He lull souls into slumber by 
dulcet notes of flattery ? Nay, but with honest love and anxious con- 
cern He warned men of the wrath to come." — Rev. T. W. Jenkyns. 



28. Overseers, Imo-Ko/irovs, whence our word "Episcopal," and 
" bishop," those whose work it was to oversee the flock. 



XX: 31-34 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



39 1 



31. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of 
three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with 
tears. 

32. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the 
word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give 
you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. 

33. 1 have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. 

34. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have minis- 
tered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 



A. D. 58. 

Sun., Apr. 23, 
MILETUS. 
Third 
Missionary 
Journey, 
Near the 
Close, 
Paul's 
Address 

to the 
Ephesian 
Elders, 

To Feed, Troip,au/€iv, to shepherd. Not merely to 
feed, but to guide, defend, care for, lead into green 
pastures, to know each one ; in a word, to do all that a shepherd should 
do for his flock. 

Shepherding the Flock. — The flock is to be fed with the Word of 
God, guarded from false teachers and errors of doctrines, to bo led into 
rich pastures of the highest Christian experience, and into rields of 
usefulness. 



"Blind Mouths." — "Mr. Ruskin in his Sesame and Lilies, com- 
menting on the strange phrase blind mouths in Milton's Lycidas, says 
those two monosyllables express the precisely accurate contraries 
of right character in the two great offices of the church. — those of 
bishop and pastor. A bishop means a person who sees ; a pastor means 
one who feeds. The most unbishoply character a man can have is, 
therefore, to be blind ; the most unpastoral is, instead of feeding, to 
want to be fed. Nearly all the evils in the church have arisen from 
bishops desiring power more than light. They want authority, not out- 
look. It is the King's (Christ is our King) office to rule. The bishop's 
office is to oversee the flock, to number it sheep by sheep, to be ready 
always to give full account of it." — John Ruskin. 



29. Wolves. — Wolves are of the dog family, but rend and destroy 
the flock, instead of being watch dogs which protect. 



30. Perverse Things. — 8u-o-Tpap.p.€'va, fr. Sid, throughout, thoroughly, 
and o-Tp€<]><o, to twist, to warp; hence things twisted, distorted, from 
their true meaning, caricatures of truth ; things seen as in an imper- 
fect, or curved mirror, so as to be scarcely recognized. 



31. Watch, YpiryopctTc, be aroused from sleep, be alert, on guard as a 
soldier on picket duty. 



Library. — The Tract Parley the Porter, Am. Tract Soc. 



392 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XX -.31-34 



An Inheritance Among All Them That Are Sanctified. — " Byron 
makes the illustrious Bonnivard dig footholds in the walls of his 
dungeon, by which he climbs to the lofty window of his cell to get a 
look at the impressive mountains of his native Switzerland. For weary 
years he had been confined in the Prison of Chillon below the level of 
the waters of Lake Geneva. One day a bird sang at the prison window 
the sweetest song he had ever heard. It resurrected his heart of stone. 
It created a yearning for a look over the land which was free to the 
bird. So the prisoner dug footholds in the plaster of the wall and 
climbed to the window above. He looked out" and he saw the mountain 
unchanged. He saw the snow of a thousand years, and learned patience. 
That look put new life into him and gave him a vision that lasted him 
to the end. From that sight he obtained rest, strength, solace. I mean 
to climb up to God that I may get God's vision of life, and be forever 
consoled by the sight of something grand and inviting beyond this life, 
in which I am now as in a prison. I mean to catch a glimpse of the 
towering peaks of immortality. I am cutting footholds for my faith 
in the promises of God." — David Gregg, D. D. 

Star Wagons. — " Every young person is familiar with that famous 
sentence of Emerson's ' Hitch your wagon to a star.' But how many of 
us have gone deeper than the striking beauty of the image, and thought 
out the full meaning of those pregnant words ? 

" The star- wagon is the humble faculty or endeavor made a thousand 
times more effective by being united with a great law, or cause, or 
opportunity. You really hitch your wagon to a star when you coast 
down hill on your bicycle. It is the law of gravitation that is drawing 
you. Neesima, the Christian enlightener and educator of Japan, 
hitched his wagon to a star when he seized the opportunity to escape to 
America and fit himself to teach our religion, arts, and sciences. 

" To enforce our personal fitness and faculty, then, by allying our- 
selves with something greater and stronger and more vital than our- 
selves, is to ride in a star-wagon. It is a glorious opportunity, and 
particularly so in youth, with a lifetime of achievement before one. If 
from the very beginning we waste no time nor energy in ill-applied 
endeavor, but take advantage of every great force and principle and 
opportunity, how grand should be the achievement of a human life, 
every effort moving in the paths of the stars, every blow backed by the 
weight of the universe ! " — James BucMiam. 

The star wagon for our faith and love and hope, is the inheritance 
among the saints, the good deeds in all past ages, the Son of God our 
example and our Saviour, the qualities which alone can enable us to 
enjoy this inheritance. The hope of such an immortality is a mighty 
power in life. , 



XX: 35 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



35. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye 
ought to support the weak, and to remeniher the words of the 
Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to 
receive. 



The Banished Kings. — " The Banished Kings," in 
Trench's Poems, is an exquisite moral tale, representing 
a child as a king come suddenly to an unknown shore, 
with wealth, councilors, and servants almost without 
limit. The wise man tells him that at some unknown 
time he will be called away to islands out of sight, in 
the blue sea, and advises him to have a home built there, and send seeds 
and treasures there to await his coming. Royal towns were built, 
fountains played, flowers bloomed, orchards bore fruits. 

"To him sweet odors from that isle were blown 
And all the yearnings of his soul were there," 

and when the call came, he 

" To his isle a willing journey took, 
And found diviner pleasure in that shore 
Than all his proudest state had known before." 



35. Support, avTiXajipdvco-Gcu, from dvrt over against, on the other side, 
and Xa|ipdvw to take hold of with the hands; hence to take hold of the 
burdens of the poor and weak, on the other side, and help them to bear 
them. 

Library. — Hood's Poems, " The Lady's Dream." My. Great-heart's 
care for Mr. Feeble-mind in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Charles 
Lamb, in his "Confessions of a Drunkard," in Essays of Elia, 
" avowed his belief in the existence of constitutions, robust heads and 
iron insides, whom scarcely any excess can hurt, and on whom his 
warning voice would be wasted. They would laugh at a weak brother, 
who, trying his strength with them, and coming off foiled in the con- 
test, would fain persuade them that such agonistic exercises are danger- 
ous." — Jacox, Side Lights on Scripture Texts. 



" He is dead whose hand is not opened wide, 
To help the want of a human brother ; 

He doubles the joy of his life-long ride, 
Who gives his fortunate place to another. 
And a thousand million lives are his 
Who carries the world in his sympathies." 



393 



* 

A. D. 58. 

Sun., Apr. 23. 
MILETUS. 
Third 
Missionary 
Journey. 
Near the 
Close. 
Paul's 
Address 

to the 
Ephesian 
Elders. 



394 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XX: 3 5 



" With joyous haste along the busy street, 

Close in the Master's steps Anselrno went ; 
But seeing one in need, he stayed his feet, 
And words of cheer with kindly service blent. 

' Thanks, brother, for thy help ! ' the stranger cried ; 
May He who loveth love thy soul reward ! " 
But searching near and far, Anselmo sighed, 
4 Alas ! in tarrying I have lost my Lord ! ' 

Yet while he spoke his heart within him burned, 
For, lo ! apart, beneath the palm-tree's shade, 

The Master, waiting, toward His follower turned 
And gracious answer to his grieving made: 

' For know,' He said, 'not thus shall hindrance be ; 
For loving deeds but draw thee nearer Me.' " 

— Mary B. Sleight, Sag Harbor, N. Y. 



" Is thy cruse of comfort failing? 

Rise and share it with a brother, 
And thro' all the years or famine, 

It shall serve Thee and thy brother. 
Love divine will fill thy store-house, 

Or thy handful still renew, 
Scanty fare for one will often 

Make a royal feast for two. 

For the heart grows rich in giving ; 

All its wealth is living grain ; 
Seeds, which mildew in the garner, 

Scattered, fill with gold the plain. 
Is thy burden hard and heavy ? 

Do thy steps drag wearily ? 
Help to lift thy brother's burden, 

God will bear both it and thee. 

Numb and weary on the mountains, 

"Wouldst thou sleep amidst the snow ? 
Chafe that frozen form beside thee, 

And together both shall glow. 
Art thou stricken in life's battle ? 

Many wounded round thee moan ; 
Lavish on their wounds thy balsam, 

And that balm shall heal thine own. 



XX: 36-38 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 395 



36. IT And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and 
prayed with them all. 

37. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed 
him, 

38. Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that 
they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him 
unto the ship. 



Is thy heart a well left empty; 

None but God its void can fill; 
Nothing but a ceaseless fountain »£« >fr 

Can its ceaseless longings still. 
Is thy heart a living power ? 

Self-entwin'd, its strength sinks low; 
It can only live by loving, 

And by serving love will grow." 

—Mrs. E. R. Charles. 

" One day, the great Alexander found Diogenes bathing himself in 
the glories of the sun. The royal conqueror stepped up to the plain, 
honest old philosepher, and asked him if the conqueror of 
the world could do him a favor. " Yes," said the happy old Diogenes 
man, "please step aside from between me and the sun." and 
Oh, Christian brother, let no man or opinion or earth- mist Alexander, 
come between you and the heavenly radiance of this prin- 
ciple of Jesus : " It is more blessed to give than to receive ! " God has given 
himself to us that we may give ourselves to each other and to him. In 
this way only shall the happiness of the world be perfected. " — Rev. 
John R. Goto. 

37. Kissed Him. KaT€<jn\ovv. Fr. Kara. Emphatic, or down upon, 
and cfuXew to kiss, they showered kisses upon him, they kissed him over 
and over again. The word is used for the betrayal kisses of Judas (Mat. 
26:49), the father's embrace of the returning prodigal (Luke 15:20), and 
of the tender caressing of the Lord's feet in the pharisee's house 
(Luke 7:28). 

97. They All Wept Sore. — " Tears are often a relief in sorrow, and 
when people who are in affliction cannot weep, we fear for the results of 
their grief. Those persons who when afflicted sit in stony silence, are 
111 much greater danger of insanity than those whose tears flow freely.'' 

"One of the most curious facts connected with madness is the utter 
absence of tears amid the insane. Whatever the form of the madness, 
tears are conspicuous by their absence, as much in the depression of 
melancholy or excitement of mania as in the utter apathy of dementia." 



A. D. 58. 
Sun., Apr. 23. 
MILETUS. 
Paul's 
Parting 
with tlie 
Elders of 
Ephesus. 
Near tlie 
Close of tlie 

Third 
Missionary 
Journey. 



39 6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XX: 3^-38 



" If a patient in a lunatic asylum be discovered in tears, it will be 
found that it is one beginning to recover, or an emotional 
outbreak in an epileptic who is scarcely truly insane ; while Tears, 
actual insane persons appear to have lost the power of weep- 
ing, and it is only returning reason which can once more unloose the 
fountains of their tears." 

" We may therefore thank God for tears in a world of sorrow ; they 
relieve the overstrained mind, and soothe the troubled spirit ; and we 
can be yet more thankful for that coming day w T hen sorrows shall be 
ended, and when God shall wipe away tears from all faces." — Unknown. 

Library. — Paul's tender heart showed that he was of like passions 
and sympathies with us. Compare Shylock's speech in Shakespeare's 
Merchant of Venice, beginning " Hath not a Jew eyes ?" Eyes to fill at 
the prompting of emotion ! 

38. Should See His Face No More : 

' Say not Good Night, but in some brighter clime 
Bid me Good Morning." 

The Parting of Brutus and Cassius on the eve of Philippi : 
" And whether we shall meet again I know not ; 
Therefore our everlasting farewell take — 
Forever, and forever, farewell Cassius ! 
If we do meet again, why we shall smile ; 
If not, why then this parting was well made." 

— Shakespeare. 

" Once more, farewell ! 
If we e'er meet hereafter, we shall meet 
In happier climes, and on a safer shore 
Where Caesar never shall approach us more." — Cato. 

' * Sir, Fare you well ; 
Hereafter in a better world than this 
I shall desire more Love and knowledge of you." 

— Shakespeare's Richard 11. 

" Why else that solemn warning given 
If not on earth, we meet in heaven." 

— Scotfs Lady of the Lake. 

"My eyes shall never more behold your face 
Till, looking through the grave and gate of death 
I see it glorified, and like to His 
Who raised it." 

— Sir Henry Taylor's Sicilian Summer. 



XXI : i-6 



THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



397 



CHAPTER XXI. 



1. And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, 
and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Co'os, 
and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto 
Pat'ara : 

2. And finding a ship sailing over unto Phenl'cia, we went 
aboard, and set forth. 

3. Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the 
left hand, and sailed into Syr'ia, and landed at Tyre : for there 
the ship was to unlade her burden. 

4. And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who 
said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to 
Jerusalem. *^ ^* 

5. And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way ; 
and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the 
city ; and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. 

6. And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they 
returned home again. 



A. ». 58. 

FROM 
MILETUS 
TO TYRE. 
Third 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Homeward 
Voyage. 

NERO, EMP. 
ROME. 
HEROD 
AGRIPPA II. 



1. GOTTEN FROM, dTroo-rrao-Qe'vTas, fr. diro from away, o-irdw (€<nra<rdp.Tjv, 

whence our English spasm, to draw), to tear, to cause convulsion or 
spasm ; hence, having torn ourselves away from them with great 
difficulty. 

4. Finding. dvevpo'vrcs finding out (dvd) after search i looked up. 



5. Accomplished, l£apTurai fr. etc, from, unfolding, as a roll, com- 
pletely ; and dpnos perfect, complete, with reference to "special apti- 
tude for given uses : " hence, completed, as a roll unfolded from begin- 
ning to end ; or furnished completely, as if the days had fulfilled their 
purpose, and that which they were to accomplish had been completed. 



5. Expressions of Sympathy. — "Do not keep the alabaster boxes of 
your love and tenderness sealed up until your friends are dead. Fill 
their lives with sweetness. Speak approving, cheering words while 
their ears can hear them, and while their hearts can be thrilled and 
made happier by them. The kind things you mean to say when they 
are gone, say before they go. The flowers you mean to send for coffins, 
send to brighten and sweeten their homes before they leave them. If 
my friends have alabaster boxes laid away full of fragrance, perfumes 



393 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XXI : 7-12 



7. And when we had finished our course from Tyre, wecame to Pto'lema'is, and 
saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. 

8. And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto 
Cesare'a ; and we entered into the house of Phil'ip the evangelist, which was one of 
the seven; and abode with him. 

9. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. 

10. And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain 
prophet, named Ag'abiis. 

11. And when be was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own 
hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem 
bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver Mm into the hands of the 
Gentiles. 

12. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought 
him not to go up to Jerusalem. 



of sympathy and affection, which they intend to break over my dead 
body, I would rather they would bring them out in my weary and 
troubled hours, and open them, that I may be refreshed and cheered by 
them while I need them, and would rather have a plain coffin without 
a flower, a funeral without an eulogy, than a life without the sweetness 
of love and sympathy." — Anon. 



" What use for the rope if it be not flung 
Till the swimmer's grasp to the rock has clung ? 
What help in a comrade's bugle blast 
When the peril of Alpine heights is past? 
What need that the spurring psean roll 
When the runner is safe within the goal ? 
What worth is eulogy's blandest breath 
When whispered in ears that are hushed in death ? 
No, no ! If you have but a word of cheer, 
Speak it while I am alive to hear." 

— Mrs. Margaret J. Preston. 



9. Four Virgins Which Did Prophecy. — Modern times are bring- 
ing many more women who prophecy. It is a good omen for the 
church. "I stood by the side of a patient in a Philadelphia hospital, 
and saw the blood transferred from the daughter to a father ; and as 
the daughter's blood entered the veins of the father and saved his life, 
the new blood of the young life of Christianity is needed to preserve the 
very existence of Christianity in the churches of our land. And such a 
giving of God has now come, and in this Christian Endeavor movement 
I see its most vital purpose." — Russell H. Gonwell, D. D. 

Reference. See under 1 : 14, " With the Women." 



XXI: 13, 14 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



399 



13. Then Paul answered, "What mean ye to weep and to break 
mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to 
die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 

14. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, 
The will of the Lord be done. 



A. ». 58 

CESAREA, 
Third 
Missionary 

Journey 
End of Sea 
Voyage 

11. Symbolic Teaching. — " Similar actions are Home, 

Aga oils' 

common with the Old Testament prophets. Thus Prophecy 
Isaiah (20 : 3) walks naked and barefoot. Jeremiah 
(13 : 5) hides his girdle by the river Euphrates, and 
(19 : 10, 11) breaks the potter's vessel in the Valley of Hinnom. Ezekiel 
(4 : 1-3) draws on a tile a picture of the siege of Jerusalem, and (5 : 1-4) 
cuts off his hair, and burns and destroys it as God commanded. So too 
Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made horns of Iron (1 Kings, 22 : 11) 
With this act of Agabus may be compared our Lord's words to St. Peter 
(John 21 : 18). — Cambridge Bible. So also our Saviour, when he taught 
his disciples humility and charity, had recourse to a similar method of 
teaching by symbols, when he washed the feet of his disciples, and 
wiped them with the towel wherewith he was girded. (John 13:5)." — 
Gloag. 



13. What Mean Ye to Weep. — ' ' There are some people who 
always find all the shadows in life and persist in walk- 
ing in them. They make darkness for others wherever The Sin of 
they may go. These make all life harder for those they Being a Dis- 
influence." courager. 
" A singer sang a song of tears, 

And the great world heard and wept ; 
For he sang of the sorrows of fleeting years 
And the hopes which the dead past kept ; 
And souls in anguish their burdens bore 
And the world was sadder than ever before. 

" A singer sang a song of cheer, 

And the great world listened and smiled ; 
For he sang of the love of a Father dear 

And the trust of a little child ; 
And the souls that before had forgotten to pray 

Looked up and went singing along the way." 



I am Ready Not to be Bound Only. — " Probably most of our read- 
ers have heard of the little church of " Domine, Quo Vadis?" near 
Rome, and the legend connected with the spot upon which it is built. 



400 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXI 115-19 



15. And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 

16. There went with us also certain of the disciples of Cesare'a, and brought with 
them one Mna'son of Cy'prus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. 

17. And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 

18. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James ; and all the elders 
were present. 

19. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had 
wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 



After the burning of the imperial city, so runs the story, Nero sought to 
fasten upon the Christians the accusation of having caused the confla- 
gration. Hence arose the first of those terrible persecutions which 
destroyed the lives of so many of the early confessors of our holy faith. 
The Christian converts at Rome besought Peter not to expose his life, 
which appeared to them to be necessary to the prosperity, 
if not the very existence, of the then infant Church. After Domine, 
much persuasion, the apostle consented to flee from the Quo Vadis. 
scene of persecution. But while hurrying along the Appian 
Way, and before he had gone more than a mile or two from the city 
gates, he was met by a vision of our Saviour, crowned with thorns, and 
bearing his cross toward the place from which he himself had just fled. 
Filled with wonder at this unexpected sight, Peter exclaimed, " Domine, 
Quo Vadis?" ("Lord, whither goest thou?") To which the Lord, 
directing toward him a look of mingled grief and pity, replied, " I goto 
Rome to be crucified a second time." The vision then vanished; but 
Peter returned to the city, to suffer and die in the cause of the Master 
whom he had almost denied a second time." 



" Wills " Wanted. — " There are many kinds of boys and girls in the 
world, but there are three kinds which deserve special mention. They 
have been called the 1 wills,' the ' won'ts,' and the » can'ts.' The ' wills ' 
accomplish everything, the ' won'ts ' oppose everything, and the ' can'ts' 
fail in everything. The ' wills ' are the ones wanted in the army of the 
Lord. There is no room for the ' won'ts ' or the ' can'ts ' in that host." 
— The Foreign Missionary. 



12. When He Would Not Be Persuaded. — ' ' In a fairy tale we are 
told of a young man, who, in his quest for the enchanted 
land, came to a great rocky barrier which impeded his The Opened 
progress. But an impulse urged him on, when suddenly a Way. 
slab of the rock fell before him, forming a step. No sooner 
had he planted his foot on this than another slab glided down, forming 
another step. And so on, one step at a time, till a rocky staircase grew 



XXI : 15-19 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



401 



beneath his feet, and the cliff was scaled. This is a 
picture of how Abraham journeyed onward, only 
knowing the next step." — Tools for Teachers. 



15. Took up Our Carriages, Baggage. 

1. We All Have Bundles to Carry.— "How 
many things we have to carry in life — as children our 
toys, when bigger our school books, when men things 

for family comforts, etc., and he is a poor creature * 4* 

who is ashamed to be seen carrying a bundle home 

to his Jerusalem. Then think how much ships have to carry, and armies. 
The word ' impediment ' comes from impedimenta, the baggage belonging 
to a Roman army." The bundles seem to be impediments, hindrances. 

2. Every Man Must Carry His Own Bundle. — "Now it would not 
be right to simply carry our own things and refuse a helping hand to 
the rest. Yet sometimes you see selfish people leaving everything, even 
their own bundles, to others. Now Paul was not like this. He was too 
self-reliant, too generous, too courteous. When seemingly utterly over- 
burdened with his own duties and troubles, he said, ' Look not every 
man on his own things, but also on the things of others,' and himself 
set the example." 

3. We Must Carry Our Bundles in Spite of Temptations to Lay 
Them Down. — " It is very easy to discourage and to be discouraged." 



" Bunyan tells us how much Christian was discouraged by the report 
of Timorous and Mistrust about lions in the path. So it was with Paul. 
On this journey to Jerusalem he was constantly meeting with people 
who said, * Don't go.' And how many people there are who would have 
replied, 'Perhaps you are right,' and have laid down their bundles. 
Never do that, but persist in carrying your bundle to your journey's 
end, in doing your duty until it is completely done." — Rev. W. Wilber- 
force Newton, D. D., in sermon to children. 



16. An Old Disciple. — "As ripe fruit is sweeter than green fruit, so 
is age sweeter than youth, provided the youth were grafted into Christ. 
As harvest time is a brighter time than seed-time, so is age brighter 
than youth; that is, if youth were a seed-time for good. As the com- 
pletion of a work is more glorious than the beginning, so is age more 
glorious than youth; that is if the foundation of the work of God were 
laid in youth. As sailing into port is a happier thing than the voyage 
so is age happier than youth ; that is, when the voyage from youth is 
made with Christ at the helm." — J. Pulsford, D. D. 
26 



A. ». 58. 

JERUSALEM. 
End of 
Third 
Missionary 

Journey. 
Journey by 

Land. 
Arrival at 
Jerusalem. 



4-02 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXI : 20-24 



20. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou 
seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe ; and they are 
all zealous of the law : 

21. And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are 
among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise 
their children, neither to walk after the customs. 

22. What is it therefore ? the multitude must needs come together: for they will 
hear that thou art come. 

23. Do therefore this that we say to thee ; We have four men which have a vow 
on them ; 

2i. Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that 
they may shave their heads : and all may know that those things, whereof they were 
informed concerning thee are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, 
and keepest the law. 



Wilberforce remarked, "I can scarcely understand why rny life is 
spared so long, except it be to show that a man can be as happy without 
a fortune as with one." And soon after, when his only surviving 
daughter died, he writes, " I have often heard that sailors on a voyage 
will drink, 'Friends astern!' till they were half way over; then, 
' Friends ahead! ' With me it has been ' Friends ahead! ' this long time." 
— Bib. Illustrator. 



21. Informed. — KarrixiiQ^a-av, from Ka/rd, against, down, from top to 
bottom, thoroughly, and T|x €ft> > t° sound: hence to sound against, and 
receive the echo (our word echo is a translation of the corresponding 
noun), hence to resound, to instruct orally, the words of the teacher 
sound to the pupil and there is an echo. They were instructed by word 
of mouth, carefully. Our word catechumen is derived from this verb. 



20. They Heard it, They Glorified the Lord. — Caesar's motto was 
" Aut Caesar aut nidlus" either Caesar or nobody. He must be first. But 
true men want the work of God to prosper, no matter by whose hand it 
is done, and they glorify God for it all. 



Vs. 20-23. The parties and differences, even among good men. "Oh, 
yes ! she was a dreadful good woman, mother, no doubt of 
that. All the same I can't really and truly think of her Differences 
only as castin' kind of ashadder round her even in heaven ; of Opinion, 
and I know she must have been afraid at first that the 
angels were a little too happy." — Christian Union, 



XXI : 20-24 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



403 



They are Informed of Thee. — "The tale-bearers ^ >b 

and tale-hearers are alike guilty. Whether it is more 
damnable to be a teller or receiver of tales and of ill 
reports, it is hard to say ; for as the tale-bearer hath 
the devil in his tongue, so the tale-hearer hath the 
devil in his ear (Prov. 6 : 19 ; Eph. 4 : 31)." — Bernard. 

" In every scandal there is the warp and the woof ; 
it is seldom that some ground cannot be had to work 
upon. The woof may be a fact wholly perverted, but upon it the liar 
may weave his warp, his figure of detraction and scandal ; and it comes 
out all in one piece, and no man can say that there is not some truth in 
it, though if the truth were picked out, the lie would stand by itself, a 
clean and absolute lie. Mr. Wilberforce relates an instance regarding 
himself. He found himself held up to public ridicule in an 
unfriendly journal, the author of the slander having given Misin- 
the following instance of Mr. Wilberf orce's Phariseeism : ' He formations, 
was seen lately walking up and down the pump room read- 
ing his prayers like his predecessors of old who prayed at the corners of 
streets to be seen of men.' Wilberforce remarks, 4 As there is generally 
some light circumstance which perverseness turns into a charge of 
reproach, I began to reflect, and I soon found the occasion of the 
calumny. I was walking in the pump room in conversation with a 
friend : a passage was quoted from Horace, the accuracy of which was 
questioned ; and as I had a Horace in my pocket I took it out and read 
the words. This was the bit of wire which factious malignity sharpened 
into a pin to pierce my reputation.' " — G. B. Cheever, D. D. 



Library. — The story of the Gyascutus in Prof. Vincent's booklet, 
That Monster, the Higher Critic (Randolph's, N. Y.), and Poe's Works, 
" The Sphynx, "where a death's head moth crawling on a window pane 
seemed like a terrible monster rushing down the mountain side. 



Reference. — See under xi. : 2. 



A Seeming Monster in a Fog. — ' ' Many suppose those against whom 
they are prejudiced to be very unlovely, because they have never come 
near enough to know them. William Jay tells that walking one day in 
an English fog, he saw a huge and terrible monster approaching him. 
Coming nearer, it was a gigantic and frightful man ; nearer still, and it 
was his brother John." — John A. Broadus, LL. D. 



Upas Tree. — " The upas tree once had a bad name, as its leaves were 
supposed to exhale a poison, which, spreading over a wide region, was 



A. D. 58. 

Thurs.,May \Z. 
JERUSALEM. 

Report 
to the 

Cliurcli. 



404 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXI : 25-28 



25. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded thut 
they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things 
offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled and from fornication. 

26. Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them 
entered into the temple, to siguify the accomplishment of the days of purification, 
until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. 

27. And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, 
when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, 

28. Crying out, Men of Israel help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every- 
where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brougnt Greeks 
also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. 



fatal to man and beast. But scientific investigation has shown that the 
tree is harmless, and that its reputation is due to its growing in a bad 
neighborhood. The tree grows in volcanic valleys in Java, which are 
noted for their desolation. It is the only green thing in a region where 
death seems to range. But the fatal poison comes not from the tree, 
but from the gases of the volcano, amid which the upas thrives, though 
all other vegetable forms perish." — Youth's Companion. 



Stirred up the People. — "A little water is evaporated into a great 
deal of steam and smoke ; and so a thing, trifling in itself, may become 
the means of incalculable mischief if it be put forth in the spirit of 
malice or even inconsiderateness." — Manton. 



28. Hath Polluted This Holy Place. — ' ' There was one special 
offense in regard to which the Jews had been accorded the singular 
privilege of proceeding even against Roman citizens according to Jew- 
ish law. Within the large square forming the outer court of the Hero- 
dian temple, there was an oblong quadrangular space enclosed by strong 
walls. This was the so-called inner court, or " the court " in the strict 
sense of the word. This court was approached by a flight of fortj^-five 
steps, and at the foot of this stair was a stone fence within which no 
Gentile was allowed to pass. Any Gentile who ventured to pass this 
boundary and set foot within the inner court was punished with 
death ; and the Roman authorities so respected the scruples of the Jews in 
regard to this matter that they sanctioned the execution of this sentence 
even in those cases in which Roman citizens had been the offenders. 

"The inscriptions, according to Josephus, were graven in Greek and 
Latin on stones fixed in a wall or balustrade, warning the Gentiles not 
to enter on pain of death; see Josephus, Wars, V. v. 2 ; Antiqq., XV. 
xi. 5. One of these stones was discovered some twenty years ago by 
M. Clermont Ganneau, with the inscription intact. It had been buried 
in the ground on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, where this learned 



XXI : 29-37 ■ THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



405 



A. ». 58. 

Tues., May 23. 
JERUSALEM. 
Tlie Mob 

in tlie 
Temple. 

The 
Rescue, 



29. (For they bad seen before witb him in the city Troph'imus 
an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into 
the temple.) 

30. And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: 
and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple : and forth- 
with the doors were shut. 

31. And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the 
chief captain of the baud, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar : 

32. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran 
down unto them : and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left 
beating of Paul. 

33. Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him, to be 
bound with two chains ; and demanded who he was, and what he had done. 

34. And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude; and when he 
could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the 
castle. 

35. And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers 
for the violence of the people. 

36. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. 

37. And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, 
may I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? 



Frenchman discovered it. A transcript of it can now be seen in Lewin's 
St. Paul, ii. 133." 

(See also Schurer, The Jeivish People in the Time of Christ, Eng. trans- 
lation, II., 1, 188 and 266.) 
The inscription runs : 

MHGENAAAAOrENHEISIIO 

PEYES0AIENTO2TOYLTE Inscriptions 
PITOIEPONTPY<f>AKTOYKAI on the 

nEPIBOAOYOSAANAH Balustrade 
*0HEAYTaiAITIO2ES of the 

TAIAIATOEgAKOAOY Temple. 
©EIN0ANATON. 
\ir\Biva d\Xo"y€V7i eUriropevWOcu Ivtos tov irepl to Upov Tpv<|>aKTOx) Kal 
-rrcpi.p6X.ou. os 8' av \t|4>6t| eauTw al'i-ios eo-Tai 8td to efjciKoXovGeiv GdvctTOv. 

" Let no Gentile enter inside of the barrier and the fence around the 
sanctuary. Anyone trespassing will bring death upon himself as a pen- 
alty." — Chiefly from Journal of American Institute of Biblical Knowl- 
edge. 

Picture. — Paul rescued from the multitude. Dore. 



35. So It Was. — <rw^r\ f it happened, it came together, as influences 
from different sources meet at a given point. 



406 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXI : 38-40 



38. Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days rnadest an uproar, and 
leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? 

39. But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cili'cia, a 
citizen of no mean city ; and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. 

40. And when he had given him license, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned 
with the hand unto the people And when there was made a great silence, he 
spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying, 



Picture.— PauVs Rescue. G. Dore. 



34. Wild Passions. — "A gentleman in India domesticated a young 
tiger, which became playful and harmless as a kitten. One day the 
animal, in licking his master's hand, drew forth and tasted 
blood. His tiger nature was aroused, and he prepared to Young Tiger 
spring upon his master, who seized a revolver and shot the 
tiger dead. So the passions of evil in men may lie dormant, but when 
aroused are not to be ignored." — Hurlbufs Notes. 



Anger.— A man in anger is like a chariot without a driver, or a ship 
in a storm without a pilot, or a scorpion which stings itself as well as 
others. 

37. Canst Thou Speak Greek? — " The chief captain's question gives 
us a glimpse of an ancient East which is very like the modern East. 
Wherever the West comes into contact with the East, the dragoman, 
or interpreter, is a necessity. It is probable that, in Paul's day, there 
were several languages spoken in Palestine. The biblical Hebrew was 
studied, and probably spoken to some extent, by the rabbis. The 
common people probably spoke Aramaic, and many of them would also 
speak Greek; just as a Swiss may speak French and German, or a 
Highlander English and Gaelic. Latin would also be spoken by the 
Italian soldiers and by a few natives. We have almost an exact 
counterpart in the modern East. Arabic is the language commonly 
spoken; yet French and English are understood by many, and the 
Syriac version of the Bible is used in the public services of some of the 
native churches. Palestine is still, in a sense, the world's centre; and 
men of all nationalities meet there." — Sunday School Times. 



39. No Mean City. — dcnfjixov, &, not, and o-ri|ia, a mark or token. 
" Hence used of uncoined gold or silver; of oracles which give no intel- 
ligible response: of inarticulate voices." — Vincent. The city did not 
belong to an undistinguished mass, but had its distinctive mark and 
type. It was like coined gold, of which every one could see the value. 



XXI : 3^-40 TH E ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



407 



38. Art Not Thou That Egyptian ? — The follow- •%> »fr 

ing account of the Egyptian is given by Josephus, 
"Ant." xx. viii. 6: " Moreover there came out of Egypt, 
about this time, to Jerusalem, one that said that he 
was a prophet, and advised the multitude of the com- 
mon people to go along with him to the Mount of 
Olives, as it was called, which lay over against the 
city, and at the distance of five furlongs. He said, 
further, that he would show them from thence, how 
at his command the walls of Jerusalem would fall down, and he 
promised them that he would procure them an entrance into the city 
through those walls when they had fallen down. Now when Felix was 
informed of these things, he ordered his soldiers to take their weapons, 
and came against them with a great number of horsemen and footmen 
from Jerusalem, and attacked the Egyptian and the people that were 
with him. He also slew 400 of them, and took 200 alive. But the 
Egyptian himself escaped out of the fight, but did not appear any more." 



I am ... a Citizen of no Mean City. — " Paul was proud of his citi- 
zenship. He had a right to be. The good name of a man's home reflects 
honor on himself. If a town has a bad name, it is to the discredit of 
every man whose home is there. And every man is more or less affected 
by, and has more or less of a share in shaping the character of the com- 
munity in which he lives. A keen eye sees at once a difference between 
citizens of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis. Let 
us, then, feel our responsibility for the character of the community 
about us, and endeavor to make our own its best rather than its objec- 
tionable peculiarities. The disciple of Jesus is 1 a citizen of no mean 
city,' his home is ' the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.' 
Let him see to it that he walks worthy of his high citizenship, that he 
reflects no dishonor on the city which he represents before men." — 
H. C. Trumbull, LL. D. 



A. D. 58. 

Tues., May 23. 
JERUSALEM. 
Paul's 
Address 
on the 
Temple 
Stairs. 



408 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XXII: 1-6 



CHAPTER XXII. 



1. Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I 
make now nuto you. 

2. (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue 
to them, they kept the more silence; and he saith,) 

3. I am verily a man lohich am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city 
in CiU'cia, yet brought up iu this city at the feet of Gama'liel, 
and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the 
fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. 

4. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and 
delivering into prisons both men and women. 

5. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the 
estate of the elders : from whom also I received letters unto the 
brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were 
there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. 

6. And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was 
come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone 
from heaven a great light round about me. 



1. My Defence. — "The recital Paul called his 'defence.' The 
defence of Christianity is not a book but a man — not an argument but 
a life. Of course we shall be told about the shortcomings of Christians. 
So be it ; and still the truth remains that Christians are the defence of 
Christianity. You tell me that London is a healthy city ! 
Come with me to the hospitals and I will show you every Christians 
disease known in this climate. Come with me from house the Defence 
to house, and in nearly every one I will find you some one of Chris- 
sick. That kind of argument would not be admitted on tianity. 
sanitary questions ; yet the very man who would probably 
reject it upon grounds of a physical kind, might be tempted to use it 
in relation to Christians. There are sick Christians, Christian cripples ; 
and yet it remains true that even the weakest Christian may have about 
him the peculiar sign manual of heaven." — Joseph Parker, D. D. 

Reference. — Gamaliel. See under v : 34. 



3. And was Zealous. — " Dr. Bonar tells of a dream he once had. In 
his dream the angels weighed his zeal, and he was delighted with the 
result. It reached the maximum, and turned the scale at a hundred. 
Then they analyzed it, and his delight vanished. For (out of the 



* * 

A. D. 58. 
Wed., May 23. 
JERUSALEM. 

On the 
Stairs lead- 
ing from 
tlie Temple 
to Castle 
Antonia. 
Paul's 
Fifth Visit. 
On his 
Return 
from the 
Third 
Missionary 
Journey. 

NERO, EM P. 
ROME. 
FELIX, GOV. OF 
JUDEA. 



XXII: 7-15 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



409 



A. D. 58. 
Wed., May 23. 
JERUSALEM. 

Paul's 
Address on 
the Stairs 
from the 
Temple to 

Castle 
Antonia. 



7. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto 
me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 

8. And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto 
me, I am Jesus of Naz'aretb, whom thou persecutest. 

9. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, aud were 
afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 

10. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said 
unto me, Ari'se, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be 
told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. 

11. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, be- 
ing led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. 

12. And one Anani as, a devout man according to the law, having a good report 
of all the Jews which dwelt there, 

13. Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. 
And the same hour T looked up upon him. 

14. And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest 
know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. 

15. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou bast seen and heard. 



hundred) fourteen parts were pure selfishness, fifteen parts sectarianism, 

twenty-two parts ambition, twenty-three parts love for 

man, and twenty-six parts love to God. He awoke from Zeal 

his dream sobered and saddened, but resolved on a new Analyzed. 

consecration. Let us seek, then, a zeal which is pure and 

undefiled which will endure the searching test of God." — G. H. James. 



Paul's Conversion. — " When grace subdues a rebel man, if I may 
so speak, the citadel first is taken, afterwards the city. It is not as in 
those great sieges which we have lately watched with such anxious 
interest. There, approaching with his brigades and cavalry and artil- 
lery, man sits down outside the city. He begins the attack from a dis- 
tance, creeping like a lion to the spring, with trench and 
parallel and battery, nearer and nearer to the walls. These Conversion 
at length are breached ; the gates are blown open ; through Like the 
the deadly gap the red, living tide rolls in. Fighting from Capture of 
bastion to bastion, from street to street, they pass onward a City, 
to the citadel ; and there, giving no quarter, and receiving 
none, beneath a defiant flag, the rebels, perhaps, stand by their guns, 
prolonging a desperate resistance. But, when the appointed hour of con- 
version comes, Christ descends by His spirit into the heart — at once 
into the heart. The heart won, she fights her way outward from a new 
heart on to new habits. A change without succeeds a change within." 
— T. Guthrie. D. D. 



Paul's Conversion. — See on chapter 9. 



4io 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXII:l6-2I 



16. And now why tamest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, 
calling on the name of the Lord. 

17. And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I 
prayed in the temple, I was in a trance: 

18. And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jeru- 
salem : for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. 

19. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue 
them that believed on thee ; 

20. And when the blood of thy martyr Ste'phen was shed, I also was standing by, 
and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. 

21. And he said unto me, Depart : for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. 



Different Ways of Conversion. — " Men come into the kingdom of 
God in as many different ways as plants come to flower. Some come 
right up out of the earth to blossom ; some come up and grow the 
whole summer, and then blossom ; some grow a year, and then blossom 
the second year ; some grow up like trees, and do not blossom till they 
are three or six years old, some put the leaves out first ; and some put 
out the blossoms first and the leaves afterward. There is every possible 
mode of inflorescence. " — BeecJier. 



Old Ship with New Master. — "Conversion is like entirely and 
wholly refitting an old ship, and employing it in the service of a new 
and better master. By nature, a man is full of vanity, sailing under 
colors of the world. Now, when Christ meets a man, and apprehends 
him in conversion, He takes him off all the ends he had in himself, takes 
possession of the ship, puts in a new pilot, a new compass, and turns 
its prow another way ; and all the lading the ship contains which He 
dislikes, He throws overboard, and fills it with a better cargo."— G. S. 
Bowes, B. A. 



Conviction of Sin in One Who Thought He was Righteous. — We 
go into a room, and the air seems pure and clear from dust ; but if one 
bright ray of sunshine is let in, we see that the air is full of particles of 
dust. 



During the discussions on spontaneous generation, many scientific 
men thought they had purified the air used in their experiments entirely 
free from every germ. They passed it through the fire and sulphuric 
acid, and felt sure of its purity ; and yet in time growths took place in 
it which they thought must be spontaneous. But Prof. Tyndall put 
some of this purified air in a glass tube, and sent a ray of sunshine 
through it, and lo ! the germs were still there. The light showed evil 
where none had seemed to be. 



XXII:22-30 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 41 1 



22. And they gave him audience unto this word, and then 
lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from 
the earth : for it is not fit that he should live. 

23. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and 
threw dust into the air, 

24. The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the 
castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that 
he might know wherefore they cried so against him. 

25. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the 
centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man 
that is a Roman, and uncondemned? 

26. When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, 
Take heed what thou doest; for this man is a Roman. 

27. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him. Tell me, art thou a Roman? 
He said, Yea. 

28. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. 
And Paul said, But I was, free born. 

29. Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him : 
and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and 
because he had bound him. 

30. On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he 
was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief 
priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before 
them. 



17. Trance. — iKo-Tdo-ei, "of which the English ecstacy is a tran- 
script, is from ck, out of and i'ctttuu, to place, or put." Hence the being 
put out of one's normal condition; the being transported, asitivere, out 
of one's self, into the region of divine things. 

20. The Martyr. — Tov p.dpTvp6s o-ov. papi-vs or p-dpi-vp, of which our 
word martyr is a transcript, is allied to the Latin Memor. It means a 
witness, "one who avers what he has seen or heard, or knows." Hence, 
one who bears witness to the truth by dying for it. 

21. Far Hence to the Gentiles. — " In 1812, and on the floor of the 
Senate of Massachusetts, an objection was raised to the act incorporat- 
ing a certain missionary society, organized to send the Gospel into for- 
eign lands. The senator who contested the act did so on the ground 
that the design of such an organization was to furnish the 

means of exporting religion, and he thought there was no Exporting 
religion to spare from the country. Another senator sprang Religion, 
to his feet, and cried out : ' Sir, religion is a commodity of 
which the more we export, the more we have remaining.' 'There is 
that scattereth, and yet increaseth ; and there is that withholdeth more 
than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.' " — Congregationalist. 



A. D. 58. 
Tucs., May 23. 
JERUSALEM. 
In Castle 
Antonia. 

Paul's 
Escape by 
Ills Roman 
Citizen- 
ship. 



412 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXII : 22-3O 



22. Gate Him Audience Unto This Word (the statement about the 
Gentiles). — "So long as Paul had a tale to tell they listened to him. 
Paul — a wise rhetorician — kept the burning word until the very last, 
like a man skilled in speech, he got it quite out. Its very place is a 
stroke of genius ; it is the last word, but the moment it was uttered it 
was like a spark thrown into a magazine of gun powder." — Joseph 
Parker. 

A Mob. — " The multitude is a beast of many heads ; every head hath 
a several mouth, every mouth a several tongue, and every tongue a 
several accent ; every head hath a several brain, and every brain 
thoughts of its own ; so it is hard to find a multitude without some 
division." — Bishop Hall. 

Bats in a Cavern. — "On entering the Gudarigby Caverns, near the 
Murrumbidgee River, New South Wales, you will see large numbers of 
the great-leaved horse shoe bat. If you proceed with torches they will 
become so eager to escape from your light that they will annoy you 
exceedingly by flapping against your face in eagerness to escape into a 
congenial darkness. How much they remind one of those ignorant 
bigots who, when the torch of truth is carried into the recesses of super- 
stition, dash in wild exasperation against the enlightener, and do their 
utmost to seek intellectual gloom?" — Scientific Illustrations. 

23. Threw Dust into the Air. — "A great similarity appears 
between the conduct of the Jews when the chief captain of the Roman 
garrison at Jerusalem presented himself in the temple, and the behavior 
of the Persian peasants when they go to court to complain of the gov- 
ernors under whom they live, upon their oppressions becoming intol- 
erable. Sir John Chardin tells us respecting them that they carry their 
complaints against their governors by companies, consisting of several 
hundreds, and sometimes of a thousand ; they repair to that gate of the 
palace near to which their prince is most likely to be, where they begin 
to make the most horrid cries, tearing their garments and throwing 
dust into the air, at the same time demanding justice. The king, upon 
hearing these cries, sends to know the occasion of them. The people 
deliver their complaint in writing, upon which he lets them know that 
he will commit the cognizance of the affair to some one by whom justice 
is usually done them." — Paxton. 

26. Take Heed for This Man is a Roman. — By the Lex Porcia 
Roman citizens were exempted from all degrading punishment, such as 
that of scourging. The words civis Romanus sum acted like a magical 
charm in disarming the violence of provincial magistrates. It was the 
heaviest of all the charges brought by Cicero against Verres, that he 



XXII . 22-30 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



413 



had violated the rights of citizenship. " It is a crime 
to bind a Roman citizen; a heinous iniquity to scourge 
him; next to parricide to kill him; what shall I say to 
crucify him ! " According to the Roman law, it was 
death for any one falsely to assert a claim to the im- 
munities of citizenship. 



A. D. 58. 

Tues,, May 23. 
JERUSALEM. 
In Castle 
A 11 to nia, 

Paul's 
Escape by 
his Roman 
Citizen- 
ship. 



Power of Citizenship. — A man was captured in 
Cuba in 1869 by the Spanish troops under suspicious 
circumstances, and he was condemned to be shot. 
English by birth and American by naturalization, 
the consuls of these two nations interfered for his life, but in vain. 
The condemned man was brought out to be shot. The soldiers were 
drawn up in file with loaded guns, when the English and American con- 
suls threw over the man their national flag; the Spanish authorities did 
not dare to fire upon the cross of St. George or the Stars and Stripes, 
and the man was saved. Take heed, the consul said, this man is 
English, this man is an American. 



Shylock. — Invokes the law of Venice to wreak a cruel vengeance on 
his foe. In vain Bassanio implores the fair young judge to wrest the law : 
"To do a great right do a little wrong, 
And curb this cruel devil of his will," 

Portia replies : 

It must not be ; there is no power in Venice 
Can alter a decree established." 



28. I Was Free Born. — Every Christian is free born. Christ hath 
made him free. The new birth is a birth into freedom, freedom from 
sin, freedom from fear, freedom in love and in the truth, freedom in 
action as the natural outflowing of his soul; and yet at the 
beginning he has attained this freedom only in part. In The 
Independence Hall at Philadelphia there is the bell which Christian 
in 1776 first rang out to the citizens who were awaiting the Free Born, 
action of Congress, then sitting with closed doors, that the 
Declaration of Independence had been decided upon. Fifteen years 
before this, that bell was cast with these words upon it : 
" Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto the inhabit- The 
ants thereof " (Lev. xxv. 10). Fifteen long years it rang — Liberty Bell, 
rang the hope of liberty, rang the prophecy of liberty ; but 
at length it rang out liberty attained and the prophecy was fulfilled. So 
every Christian has liberty inwrought upon his soul at his new birth — 
partly a fact and partly a prophecy, but a prophecy becoming fulfilled ; 
and at length, when the truth has done its work, no longer in prophecy 
but in reality shall the Christian know the glorious liberty of the sons 
of God. 



4H 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



XXIII : 1-5 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



1. And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and 
brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until 
this day. 

2. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood 
by him to smite him on the mouth. 

3. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou 
whited wall : for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and 
commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? 

4. And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high 
priest ? 

5. Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high 
priest : for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler 
of thy people. 



1. I have lived, Tr€iro\iT€V(jiai. 1 have lived or be- 
haved as a citizen, iroXmis. I have recognized the laws. 



1. In All Good Conscience (Paul's earlier career). — " Conscience is 
necessary ; it is indispensable. But suppose a man were to build a 
house. No doubt it would be indispensable that he should have good, 
square sills and strong corner-posts. It would be essential that all the 
timbers should be of ample strength, and well knitted together and 
braced. But suppose, after all the timbers were in place and properly 
jointed, he should ask me to come to his house and see him. A house 
with nothing but timbers would be like a character which was made up 
of conscience and nothing else. Before a man asks you into his house, he 
covers the timbers up outside and inside, so that the walls are smooth 
and pleasant to come in contact with and to look upon ; and if a man's 
character is to be complete, conscience in that character should be cov- 
ered up by other qualities and made sweet and smooth. Oftentimes, 
where a man invites his friends to see him, the ceiling of his house is 
frescoed, and the floor is richly carpeted, and the rooms are light and 
cheerful, and on every hand are tokens of hospitality. Hospitality does 
not ask you to sit on a log because a log is necessary to the building of 
a house. But many men are square-built, conscience-framed men. I 
would as lief sit on the square end of a log all my life as to live with 
men who, though they have consciences, are harsh and unlovely and 
unfruitful, because there is nothing in them to cover up that conscience. 



* 

A. ». 58. 

Wed., May 24. 
JERUSALEM. 
Hall of the 
Sanhedrim. 
Paul's 
Defence. 
Indigna- 
tion at the 
Command 
of the 
High 
Priest. 
Beginning 
of Paul's 
Imprison- 
ments, 
leading to 
Rome. 



XXIII :6-IO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 415 



6. But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sad'diicees, 
and the other Phar'Isees, he cried out in the council, Men and 
brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee : of the hope 
and resurrection of the dead I am called iu question. 

7. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between 
the Pharisees and the Sadducees ; and the multitude was di- 
vided. 

8. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, 
neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. 

9. And there arose a great cry and the scribes that were of the 
Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in 
this man : but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us 
not fight against God. 

10. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief cap- 
tain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, 
commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force 
from among them, and to bring him into the castle. 



Conscience is desirable and necessary ; but in order to make it tolerable, 
love should be thrown around it. Conscience is the frame of character, 
and love is .the covering for it." — H. W. Beecher. 

Reference. — Chief of Police Byrnes on " Concience," 2 : 47. 



3. Shall Smite Thee (Tvirmv o-€ ne'Mei). — ' ' More strictly, is about to 
smite. The words are not an imprecation, but a prophecy of punish- 
ment for his violent dealing. According to Josephus, in the attack of 
the Sicarii upon Jerusalem, he was dragged from his hiding-place, in a 
sewer of the palace, and murdered by assassins." — M. B. Vincent. 



3. Thou Whited Wall. — See Matthew, 23 : 27. — " Speaking of cer- 
tain offenders, Ignatius, an early Christian writer, in his epistle to the 
Philadelphians, says, ' These to me are monuments and tombs which 
bear only the names of men.' Here there may be another allusion 
besides that which is apparent to the Western reader. In Rabbinic the 
word nephesh means the ' vital principle, ' a ' person ' himself, and a 
' tomb.' Of nephesh, in this last sense, it might punningly be said to 
be nephesh — or a living person — only in name." — Sunday School 
Times. 



5. I Wist Not, Brethren. — "St. Paul was very short-sighted, and the 
opthalmia under which he constantly suffered was probably much 
intensified by the violent treatment he had experienced the day before. 
Could anything be more natural than that a short-sighted man should 



A. I>. 58. 

Wed. y May 24. 
JERUSALEM. 
Hall of the 
Sanhedrim. 
Paul's 
Defence. 
Indigna- 
tion at the 
Command 
of the 
High 
Priest. 
Beginning 
of Paul's 
Imprison- 
ments, 
leading to 
Rome. 



416 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXIII : II 



11. And the night following the Lord stood hy him, and said, Be of good cheer, 
Paul : for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also 
at Rome. 



not recognize in such a crowd the particular person who had uttered 
this very brief but tyrannical command ? We all have daily 
experience how hard it is for even a keen sighted man to Not 
distinguish among a crowd the person who utters a brief Knowing 
exclamation, a fact which the debates in the House of Who Speaks. 
Commons often illustrate. I can myself quite appreciate 
St. Paul's difficulty. I am extremely short-sighted ; am never able to 
discern — say, in a meeting of one of our synods — who it is that inter- 
rupts or contradicts me." — Prof. Stokes. 



6. One Part Sadducees, the Other Pharisees. — " The narrative 
illustrates the place of expediency in the Christian's conduct, it is pos- 
sible to be keen, quick-witted, swift to seize advantage, turning disaster 
into victory, and yet be honest, truthful, and perfectly fair. It is plain 
that the Christian, no less than the worldling, may use all his quickness 
of intellect to escape from difficulties. Principle first, and expediency 
afterwards. Expediency so far as it does not interfere with principle, 
but principle at all hazards." — Rev. Addison P. Foster, D. D. 



Battle of the Giants from the Dragon's Teeth. — There is a 
Greek legend of Cadmus, the builder of Thebes, that he slew a dragon 
and sowed the teeth in the field. The dragon's teeth sprang up from 
the ground armed giants, a great army. Then he took up a rock and 
threw it among them. So that instead of slaying him they went to 
fighting one another. And they slew one another till only one tall 
giant remained, and he became the helper of Cadmus in carrying stones 
for the walls of the city of Thebes he began to build. So it is wise to 
let the enemies of Christianity light one another; one tears down what 
another builds up. So it has been through the ages, whether they use 
historic criticism or geology, or antiquarian researches or development 
theories, or any other form of science for their weapons. But always 
after the battle is over there is left some solid, settled truth which never 
fails to help build the city of our God. 



On Visions. — See Acts 2 : 17. 



God's Providential Guidance. — " Mark, too, how blindly men ful- 
fil God's purposes. The two bitter antagonists, Jew and Roman, seem 
to themselves to be working in direct opposition ; but God is using them 



XXIII: II THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



417 



both to carry out his design. Paul has to be got to 
Rome, and these two forces are combined, by a wis- 
dom beyond their ken, to carry him thither. Two 
cogged wheels, turning in opposite directions, fit into 
each other, and grind out a resultant motion, differ- 
ent from, either of theirs. These soldiers and that 
mob were like two pawns on a chess-board, ignorant 
of the intentions of the hand which moves them." — 
Maclaren in Sunday School Times. 



The very things that seemed a hindrance were the means for accom- 
plishing Paul's desire and God's purposes. 



So Joseph in slavery and in prison was on the straight road to pros- 
perity. He was not only being disciplined and prepared 
for his great work, but was going the way that led to it, Joseph, 
like a river that runs underground, but ever moves toward 
the sea. 



Providence, Strange But Wise. — A very interesting and illustra- 
tive tale in reference to Providence, is told by Rev. E. E. Hale, in his 
Christmas in a Palace. The story is entitled "Hands Off." It repre- 
sents a man in another stage of existence, looking down upon Joseph 
as he is in the hands of the Midianites. Being an active, 
ingenious young man, Joseph succeeded in escaping from Hand's off, 
his captors on the first night of his captivity, and had just a story 
reached the outer limits of the camp when a yellow dog of 
barked, awakened his captors, and Joseph was returned to Providences, 
his captivity. But the on-looker wanted to interfere and 
kill the dog before he had' awakened the camp. Then Joseph would 
have reached home in safety, and great sorrows have been avoided. 
But his guardian said, "Hands Off." And to let him see the evil 
of his interference, took him to a world where he could try his experi- 
ment. There he killed the dog. Joseph reached home in safety, his 
father rejoiced, his brothers were comforted. But when the famine 
came, there had been no Joseph to lay up the corn. Palestine and 
Egypt were starved. Great numbers died, and the rest were so 
weakened that they were destroyed by the savage Hittites. Civilization 
was destroyed. Egypt blotted out. Greece and Rome remained in a 
barbarous state. The whole history of the world was changed and 
countless evils came because a man in his ignorant wisdom killed a dog 
and saved Joseph from present trouble to his future loss. 

Reference — The tapestry iveavers, 1 : 6. 
27 



A. ». 58. 

Wed. night, 
May 24. 
JERUSALEM. 
Castle 
Antonia. 
Paul's 
Vision. 



4i8 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXIII : 12-20 



12. And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound them- 
selves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed 
Paul. 

13. And they were more than forty which made this conspiracy. 

14. And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound our- 
selves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. 

15. Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring 
him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would inquire something more per- 
fectly concerning him : and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him. 

16. And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered 
into the castle, and told Paul. 

17. Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young 
man unto the chief captain : for he hath a certain thing to tell him. 

18. So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the 
prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who 
hath something to say unto thee. 

19. Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside 
privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? 

20. And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldst bring 
down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of 
him more perfectly. 



Library. — Dr. Bushnell's Sermons for the New Life. *' Every man's 
life a plan of God." 



Library. — Hafed's dream of the chance world, in Dr. Todd's Truth 
made simple, is a capital illustration of what the world would be with- 
out God's providential guidance. 



13. Conspiracy, a-vvwjioo-iav, from <rvv and qivvfu, to swear, hence 
swearing together, an agreement together under oath. The English 
conspiracy is from the Latin conspirare, to breathe together, especially 
of a secret agreement, as if whispering together. 



A Conspiracy Against the Gospel. — There is an old Huguenot 
device representing men around an anvil striking it with 
their hammers, and others handing them new ones as fast Hammers 
as the ones used are broken on the anvil. Underneath is and the 
this legend : " Strike away, ye rebels ; your hammers may Anvil, 
break, but the anvil of God's word endures." — John Cotton 
Smith. 



An Enemy's Shot Opening a Fountain. — During the siege of Sebas- 
topol, a Russian shell buried itself in the side of a hill without the city, 



XXIII: 21-35 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 419 



21. But do not thou yield unto them : for there lie in wait for 
him of them more than forty men, which have bound them- 
selves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they 
have killed him : and now are they ready, looking for a promise 
from thee. 

22. So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and 
charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these 
things to me. 

23. And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make 
ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cesare'a, and horsemen 
threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third 
hour of the night; 

24. And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and "P* ■ *!• 

bring him safe unto Fe'lix the governor. 

25. And he wrote a letter after this manner ; 

26. Clau'diias Lys'ias unto the most excellent governor Fe'lix sendeth greeting. 

27. This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them : then 
came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman. 

28. And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I 
brought him forth into their council: 

29. Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have noth- 
ing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. 

30. And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent 
straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee 
what they had against him. Farewell. 

31. Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought himby 
night to Antlp'atrls. 

32. On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the 
castle: 

33. Who, when they came to Cesare'a, and delivered the epistle to the governor, 
presented Paul also before him. 

34. And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. 
And when he understood that he was of Cili'cia; 

35. 1 will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he com- 
manded him to be kept in Her'od's judgment hall. 



and opened a spring. A little fountain bubbled forth where the cannon 
shot had fallen, and during the remainder of the siege afforded to the 
thirsty troops, who were stationed in that vicinity, an abundant supply 
of pure cold water. Thus the missile of death from an enemy, under 
the direction of an overruling Providence, proved an almoner of mercy 
to the parched and weary soldiery of the allies. — Congregationalist. 
So often the efforts of men against God's kingdom have been overruled 
to its furtherance. Every great attack upon the Bible has opened a new 
fountain of its truth to supply the wants of God's people. 



Ao », 58. 

v. 31, Thurs. 
night, May 25. 
Journey 
toward 
Cesarea. 

v. 32-3S, Fri- 
day, May 26. 
Arrival at 
Cesarea. 
Beginning 
of Two 
Years' 
Imprison- 
ment* 



420 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXIV : 1-6 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



1. And after five days Anam'as the high priest descended 
with the elders, and with a certain orator warned TertuTlus, 
who informed the governor against Paul. 

2. And when he was called forth, Tertul'lus began to accuse 
him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and 
that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy provi- 
dence, 

3. We accept it always, and in all places, most noble Fc'lix, 
with all thankfulness. 

4. Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, 

I pray thee that thou wouldest bear us of thy clemency a few *f" 4" 

words. 

5. For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among 
all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Naz'arenes' : 

6. Who also hath gone about to profane the temple : whom we took, and would 
have judged according to our law. 



2. By Thee we Enjoy Great Quietness. — "The only good thing 
known of this rule is the energetic effort which he made to put down 
the gangs of Sicarii (Assassins) and brigands by whom Palestine was 
infested." 

" He left a Corsair's name to other times 
Linked to one virtue and a thousand crimes." — Byron. 



2. Very Worthy Deeds (KaTop0a>p.dTa>v). — From KaTop06a>, to set up- 
right. Hence, a success consequent on right judgment; a right action. 
The best texts, however, read 8iop0«p.dT&>," settings right ; amendments. 
Thus the sentence reads, literally, obtaining much peace through thee, 
and amendments taking place for this nation through thy providence, 
we accept, etc." — Prof. M. B. Vincent, Word Studies. 



2. Providence. — irpovoias, thinking, perceiving beforehand, as the 
word providence, is pro-vidence seeing beforehand, and therefore 
providing. 

5. Ringleader. — irptoToo-TaTTjv, from irpwTos first, and t<rrr]|ii to stand, 
one who stands first in the line, and leads the file ; hence a leader, a 
chief. Our word ringleader, means the leader of a ring or circle, i. e., a 
clique enclosed as it were in an enclosed space. 



A. I>. 58. 

Tues., May 30. 
CESAREA. 

Paul's 
Trial be- 
fore Felix. 
The Ac- 
cusation, 

NERO, EM P. 

ROME. 
FELIX, GOV. 

JUDEA. 



XXIV: 7"H THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 421 



7. But the chief captain Lys'ias came upon us, and with great 
violence took Mm away out of our hands, 

8. Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examin- 
ing of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, 
whereof we accuse him. 

9. And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were 
so. 

10. Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto 
him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast 
been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for 
myself ; 

11. Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days 
since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. 

12. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither 
raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city ; 

13. Neither cau they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. 

14. But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so 
worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law 
and in the prophets: 



6. To Profane (PtP^Xwo-cu). — "The word is akin to Pti\6s, threshold, 
and Paivw, to step ; and its fundamental idea, therefore, is that of over- 
stepping the threshold of sacred places. The word profane is the Latin 
pro fanum, in front of the sanctuary ; that which is kept outside the 
fane because unholy." — Vincent's Word Studies. 



8. Whereof we Accuse Him. — "In the drop of venom which 
distills from the sting of the smallest insect or the spikes of 
the nettle leaf there is concentrated the quintessence of a Slander, 
poison so subtle that the microscope cannot detect it, and 
yet so virulent that it can inflame the blood and convert day and night 
into restless misery. Of slanderers Scripture declares, * Adders' poison 
is under their lips.' " — F. W. Robertson. 



10. I do the More Cheerfully Answer. — " A man who possesses 
every other title to our respect except courtesy is in danger 
of forfeiting them all. He is never without dignity who Paul's 
avoids wounding the dignity of others. Courtesy. 

' ' No gem reveals its true beauties in a natural state. The diamond in 
the rough is most unattractive ; its perfections are hidden under a hard 
crust, which can only be removed by its own powder. The 
deep velvet hue of the sapphire, the brilliant red of the Polished 
ruby, the soft clear green of the emerald, only display Gems, 
themselves after the lapidary has used his skill in cutting 
them into facets and polishing them. There are, of course, plenty of 



A. D. 58. 

Tues. y May 30. 
CESAREA. 

Paul's 
Trial be- 
fore Felix. 

Paul's 
Defence. 



422 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXIV: I 5-2 1 



15. And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there 
shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. 

16. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence 
toward God, and toward men. 

17. Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings. 

18. Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither 
with multitude, nor with tumult. 

19. Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had aught 
against me. 

20. Or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me, 
while I stood before the council. 

21. Except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching 
the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day. 



polished stones which are not gems, and plenty of polite people who are 
not of high moral worth ; but the necessity is none the less that the 
gems be polished if they would be useful." — W. A. Dickson. 



13. Neither can They Prove the Things. — "Then the shepherds 
had the pilgrims to another place called Mount Innocence, and there 
they saw a man clothed all in white, and two men, Prejudice and Ill- 
will, continually casting dirt upon him. Now, behold, the dirt, what- 
soever they cast at him, would in a little time fall off again, and his 
garment would look as clear as if no dirt had been cast thereat. Then 
said the pilgrims, 'What means this?' The shepherds answered, 
6 This man is named Godly-man, and this garment is to show the inno- 
cency of his life. Now, those that throw dirt at him are such as hate his 
well-doing ; but, as you see, the dirt will not stick upon his clothes ; so 
it shall be with him that liveth innocently in the world. Whoever they 
be that would make such men dirty, they labor all in vain ; for God, by 
that a little time is spent, will cause that their innoceuce shall break 
forth as the light, and their righteousness as the noon day.' "—Bunyan. 



1 ' Believe not each accusing tongue, 
As most weak persons do; 

But still believe that story wrong 
Which ought not to be true." — Sheridan. 



16. Exercise (myself) do-KeV The verb means to icork raw material 
into some object, to form curiously by art as a bowl (Iliad. 23:743), or a 
chariot finely ivrought with gold. (Iliad 10:438). Hence to adorn, then 
to practice athletic arts, to discipline, to train as the human soul into 
its perfection. 



XXIV : 22-25 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



423 



22. And when Fe'lix heard these things, having more perfect 
knowledge of that way, he deferred them, aud said, When 
Lys'ias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the 
uttermost of your matter. 

23. And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let 
Mm have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his ac- 
quaintance to minister or come unto him. ^ ^* 

24. And after certain days, when Fe'lix came with his wife 

Drusil'la, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith 
in Christ. 

25. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, 
FeTix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time ; when I have a convenient 
season, I will call for thee. 



Void of Offence, dirpoo-Ko-rrov, d, not, and irpoo-Kdmro) to strike against \ 
to stumble ; hence a conscience that does not stumble, nor is a cause of 
stumbling to others. 



25. Temperance. — 1-yKpcvmas, lv — Kpa-ros, in one's power or control, 
having the passions and powers of the soul under the control of reason 
and conscience, as a horse is under the control of its rider, and obeys 
his guiding rein. 



For this Time (to vvv e'xov). — Literally, as to wliat has itself now ; 
the things that belong to " the now," the present time, with no outlook 
into what is coming in the future. 



A Judgment to Come. — " Suppose a messenger from God should take 
us by the hand and lead us up to the steps of a great building, and as 
we entered the porch it should begin to grow dark; suppose that he 
should then open a door into a very large hall, which he called a pic- 
ture-gallery. As we enter it, we find it dark as night; but as the angel 
touches a spring, the light flashes in and fills the room. "We now see 
that the walls are hung with pictures, — so many and so large that they 
cover all the walls. On these are painted all the sins that 
we have ever committed. On one picture are painted all The Pictured 
the bad words that we have ever spoken ; on another all the Room, 
crimes and jealousies we have ever felt; on another all the 
covetings of our hearts, all the wrong bargains we have ever made, all 
the unkindness to our parents and friends of which we have ever been 
guilty, all our prayerless mornings and evenings, all our neglect of God's 
Word, all our ingratitude towards our heavenly Father and our hard 
feelings towards Him, all our abuse of the Sabbath and the means of 
grace, all our neglect of the Saviour and our grieving away the Holy 



A.l>. 5 8-60. 

CESAREA. 
Paul Im- 
prisoned 
for 
Two 
Years. 



424 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXIV : 22-25 



Spirit. What pictures would our sins — open sins, secret sins, heart 
sins, and life-long sins — make ! Who would dare look at them? What 
a terrible hall that would be ! It would truly be a "judgment hall; " 
it would make us tremble." — Rev. John Todd, D. D. 



Felix Trembled.— " ' The devils believe and tremble.' Said a little 
girl who had just been reading the newspaper account of an explosion, 
" Mother, don't you think that people who work in powder-mills ought 
to be pious ? " There was a good deal of human nature in that question. 
The world, like the little girl, thinks that all who are espec- 
ially exposed ought to be prepared for sudden death. But Powder Mill 
is not the whole world a vast powder-mill? Is it not filled Piety 
everywhere with the elements of destruction ? The very air 
we breathe may become poisonous and slay us. The water we drink 
may contain some deadly ingredient which neither sight nor taste can 
detect. We are encompassed ever by unseen dangers. We are never 
certain of to-morrow." — W. Moss. 

Library. — Joseph Cook's Monday Lectures, "Conscience." Shake- 
speare's Richard HI, to whose last vision came the ghosts of his victims, 
saying 1 1 Let me sit heavy on thy soul to-morrow. 
Scott's Marmion. — 

" Thus oft it haps that when within 
Men shrink at sense of secret sin 

A feather daunts the brave; 
A fool's wild speech confounds the wise, 
And greatest princes veil their eyes 
Before the meanest slave." 



A Convenient Season, That Never Comes. 

Library. — Butler's Analogy, the famous chapter 5, on the weaken- 
ing of passive impressions by repetition, as in the well-known effect of 
not heeding the alarm-clock's call to awake in the morning. 



The Inchcape Rock. — Southey's poem, " The Inchcape Rock." The 
" holy abbot of Aberbrothock " had placed a bell over this rock, in such 
a way that it was rung by the motion of the waves. 

" When the rock was hid by the tempest's swell, 
The mariners heard the warning bell." 

One day, Ralph the Rover, in sport, "cut the warning bell from its 
float," and "sailed away, and scoured the seas for many a day." 
Returning, richly laden, he finds himself near the Scottish shore in a 
fog and the swell of a gale. 



XXIV: 22-25 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



425 



' 4 Canst hear, says one, the breakers' roar ? 
For yonder, me thinks, should be the shore. 
Now, where we are I cannot tell, 
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape bell." 
But they hear no sound, and soon are wrecked upon 
the very rock from which they had destroyed the 
warning bell. 

" To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, 
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, 
To the last syllable of recorded time, 
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools 
The way to dusty death." — Shakespeare's Macbeth. 



" Procrastination is the thief of time. 
Year after year it steals till all are fled, 
And to the mercies of a moment leaves 
The vast concerns of an eternal time." — Young. 



" Oh, 'tis a mournful story, 
Thus on the ear of pensive eve to tell, 
Of morning's firm resolve the vanished glory, 
Hope's honey left to wither in the cell, 
And plants of mercy dead that might have bloomed so well." 



" There is a tide in the affairs of men 
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune ; 
Omitted, all the voyage of their life 
Is bound in shallows and in miseries." — Shakespeare. 



The Near and the Far. — Rabelais' witches had eyes that could 
see very clearly anything at a distance, but nothing that was close at 
hand. Some persons' mental eyes are just the reverse, and they see 
clearly the values close at hand, but are blind to what lies in the future. 
Present possessions often hide an eternal inheritance, as 

" A finger's breadth at hand may mar 
A world of light in heaven afar ; 
A mote eclipse a glorious star." 



" Some persons appear to have been born half an hour too late, and 
chase that half -hour through life, and are finally distanced in the race." 
— Judson. 



A.D. 58 or 

59. 
CESAREA. 

Paul's 
Sermon to 
Felix and 
Drusilla. 



426 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXIV: 22-25 



The Land of Pretty-Soon. 

" I know of a land where the streets are paved 

With the things which we meant to achieve ; 
It is walled with the money we meant to have saved, 

And the pleasures for which we grieve. 
The kind word unspoken, the promises broken, 

And many a coveted boon, 
Are stowed away there in that land somewhere — 

The land of ' Pretty-Soon.' 

" There are uncut jewels of possible fame 

Lying about in the dust, 
And many a noble and lofty aim 

Covered with mold and rust. 
And oh, this place, while it seems so near, 

Is further away than the moon ; 
Though our purpose is fair, yet we never get there — 

To the land of ' Pretty-Soon.' 

" The road that leads to that mystic land 

Is strewn with pitiful wrecks, 
And the ships that have sailed for its shining strand 

Bear skeletons on their decks. 
It is further at noon than it was at dawn, 

And further at night than at noon. 
Oh, let us beware of that land down there — 

The land of ' Pretty-Soon.' " — Ella Wheeler Wilcox. 



The House of Never. 

" The house of Never is built, they say, 
Just over the hills of the By-and-By ; 
Its gates are reached by a devious way, 
Hidden from all but an angel's eye. 
It winds about and in and out 
The hills and dales to sever. 
Once over the hills of the By-and-By 
And you're lost in the house of Never. 

" The house of Never is filled with waits, 
With just-in-a-minutes and pretty-soons ; 
The noise of their wings as they beat the gates 
Comes back to earth in the afternoons, 



XXIV: 22-25 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



427 



When shadows fly across the sky 
And rush in rude endeavor 

To question the hills of the By-and-By 
As they ask for the house of Never. 

" The house of Never was built with tears ; 
And lost in the hills of the By-and-By 
Are a million hopes and a million fears — 
A baby's smiles and a woman's cry." 



A.I>. 58 or 

59. 
CESAREA. 
Paul's 
Sermon to 
Felix and 
Drusilla. 



No Time To Be a Christian. — "I say to my friend, • Be a Chris- 
tian.' That means to be a full man. And he says to me, ' I have not 
time to be a Christian. I have not room. If my life was not so full \ 
You don't know how hard I work from morning to night. What time is 
there for me to be a Christian ? What time is there, what room is there, 
for Christianity in such a life as mine ? ' But does it not come to seem 
to us so strange, so absurd, if it was not so melancholy, that man should 
say such a thing as that ? It is as if the engine had said it had no room 
for the steam. It is as if the tree had said it had no room for the sap 
It is as if the ocean had said it had no room for the tide. It is as if the 
man said that he had no room for his soul. It is as if life said that it 
had no time to live, when it is life. It is not something that is added to 
life ; it is life. . . . Life is the thing we seek, and man finds it in the 
fulfilment of his life by Jesus Christ." — Phillips Brooks.' 



The Doomed Man. 

1 There is a time, we know not when, 
A point, we know not where, 
That marks the destiny of men 
To glory or despair. 

There is a line by us unseen 

That crosses every path, 
The hidden boundary between 

God's mercy and His wrath. 

To pass that limit is to die, 

To die as if by stealth ; 
It does not quench the beaming eye 

Or pale the glow of health. 

The conscience may be still at ease, 

The spirits light and gay ; 
That which is pleasing still may pleas;, 

And care be thrust away. 



428 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXIV : 26, 2/ 



26. He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might 
loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him. 

27. But after two years Por'cius Fes'tus came into Felix's room : and Felix, will- 
ing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. 



But on that forehead God hath set 

Indelibly His mark, 
Unseen by man ; for man, as yet, 

Is blind and in the dark. 

O where is this mysterious bourne 

By which our path is crossed, 
Beyond which God Himself hath sworn 

That he who goes is lost. 

How far may we go on in sin ? 

How long will God forbear ? 
Where does hope end, and where begin 

The confines of despair ? 

An answer from the skies is sent, 

Ye that from God depart, 
While it is called to-day, repent 

And harden not your heart. " — Mrs. Alexander. 



26. Hoped That Money Should Have Been Given Him. — There is 
a curious little picture in the crystal palace gallery of 
Munich, called the "Red Fisherman." The devil in red The Red 
costume is fishing for men who are like fishes in a pond. Fisherman. 
The bait on his hook consists of gold coins, but near him are 
other kinds of bait. — crowns, swords, wine, jewels. 



The Judas Tree. — There is a singular tree which bears the appro- 
priate name of the Judas tree. The blossoms are of a brilliant crimson 
and their beauty and fragrance attract innumerable insects, and the 
wandering bee is drawn to them to gather honey. But every bee that 
lights upon the blossoms imbibes a fatal opiate, and drops dead from 
among the crimson flowers to the earth. Beneath this enticing tree the 
ground is strewed wtth the dead bodies of bees. This alluring tree is a 
vivid emblem of the deceitf ulness of sin. Perdition is full of those who 
have fallen victims to the fascinating Judas tree of sin. The tempter 
deludes men by painting sin in bright colors, by calling it beautiful 
names, by clothing it as an angel of light. 



XXIV : 26, 27 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



429 



Freedom In Prison. — " Nothing can imprison a »J* 

man save his own wilful sin. Nobody can put any- 
real fetters on any fellow-man. Each man who wears 
fetters puts them on himself ; each man who dwells in 
a prison goes in himself, and himself bolts the door. 

' Stone walls do not a prison make, 
Nor iron bars a cage.' 

But ' whosoever committeth sin becomes the slave of 
sin,' So, whatever may have been the limitations of the apostle's 
circumstances, there was no bondage, for there was no conscience of 
sin. It may be pointed out how often the very limitations of a man's 
circumstances, through sickness or persecution, have found him the 
freedom for some great and noble service, as may be illustrated from 
Luther's work while in the Wartburg, and from John Bunyan's work 
while in Bedford jail." — B. T.in Pulpit Commetary. 



Bunyan in Prison. — Bunyan was in prison twelve of the best years 
of his life. He longed to preach the Gospel. The people longed to hear 
him. He was greatly needed. There seemed to be no compensation for 
this great loss. And yet during that time, without realizing the great- 
ness of what he was doing, Bunyan wrote that Pilgrim's Progress 
which is a sermon ages long, and which has enabled him to preach to 
millions instead of thousands, and for centuries instead of years. 



A. ». 58-60. 

CESAREA. 
Paul in 
Prison for 
Two 
Years. 
Change of 
Governors. 



430 SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 



CHAPTER XXV. 



1. Now when Fes'tus was come into the province, after three 
days he ascended from Cesare'a to Jerusalem. 

2. Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed 
him against Paul, and besought him, 

3. And desired favour against him, that he would send for him 
to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him. 

4. But Fes'tus answered, that Paul should be kept at Cesare'a, 
and that he himself would depart shortly thither. 

5. Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go 
down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness 
in him. 

6. And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, 
he went down unto Cesare'a; and the next day sitting on the 
judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought. 

7. And when he was come, the Jews which cams down from 
Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, 
which they could not prove. 

8. While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither 
against the temple, nor yet against Ce'sar, have I offended any thing at all. 

9. But Fes'tus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, Wilt 
thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? 



2. The Chief of the Jews Infokmed Him. — ''When you strike a 
king you must kill him, says the old proverb. It is not safe to insult or 
to assault one who holds in his hands the issues of life and death. There 
are persons who forget this when they make war on Jesus of Nazareth, 
the Son of the living God. How many have undertaken it? How 
many have despised, rejected, and blasphemed Israel's King ! Can 
they kill Him? The Jews thought they could. Pilate 
believed he could put Him to death. The Romans hung Him Dangerous 
on the cross, but where is He to-day ? Rome has fallen, but Business. 
He lives; and His name is above every name. Pilate has 
gone down into darkness and forgetfulness ; the priests and scribes and 
Pharisees who rejected and scorned and spurned Him, are only remem- 
bered by the record which His followers have preserved of their impiety 
and sin, but wide as the world has gone the story of His power, His love, 
His goodness and His grace." — H. L. Hastings. 



XXV: 1-9 



A. ». 60. 

June and July. 

CESAREA. 
JERUSALEM. 

NERO, EMPEROK, 
7TH YEAR. 

FESTUS THE NEW 
GOVERNOR. 

Close of 
Paul's 
Imprison- 
ment 
at Cesarea. 

NERO, EMP. 
ROME. 
FESTUS, GOV. 
JUDEA. 



Shutting Up the Sun in a Chest. — " Never does the world appear 
more foolish than when it attemps to extinguish a burning and shining 



XXV:I0-20 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 43 1 



10. Then said Paul, I stand at Cesar's judgment seat, where 
I ought to be judged ; to the Jews have I done no wrong, as 
thou very well knowest. 

11. For if I be an offender, or have committed anything 
worthy of death, I refuse not to die ; but if there be none of 
these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me 
unto them. I appeal unto Cesar. 

12. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, 
answered, Hast thou appealed unto Cesar? unto Cesar shalt 
thou go. 

13. And after certain days king Agrip'pa and Berni'ce came 
unto Cesare'a to salute Fes'tusj. 

14. And when they had been there many days, Fes'tus declared Paul's cause unto 
the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Fe'lix: 

15. About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the 
Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him. 

16. To whom I answered. It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man 
to die, before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have 
license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. 

17. Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I 
sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth. 

18. Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of 
such things as I supposed : 

19. But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one 
Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. 

20. And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he 
would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters. 



light. In the Indian legend a wicked sorceress seeks with her snares to 
keep the sun, moon and stars in three separate chests, and those who try 
to suppress Christianity have succeeded no better. Eminent goodness 
will out ; neither men nor devils can keep it under a bushel." — Wilkin- 
son. 



19. Superstition, Seio-iSaifjwmas. See on ch. xvii. 22. 



1. " Careless seems the great avenger; history's pages but record 

One death-grapple in the darkness 'twixt old systems and the 
Word. 

Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne, 
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim 
unknown 

Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His 
own." 

— James Bussell Lowell. 



A. D. 60. 

July^xiLewiii). 
CESAREA. 

FESTUS, GOV. 

Close of 
Paul's 
Imprison- 
ment 
at Cesarea. 
The Appeal 
to Cesar. 



432 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXV : 21-2J 



21. But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augus'tus, I 
commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Cesar. 

22. Then Agrip'pa said unto Fes'tus, 1 would also hear the man myself. To 
morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him. 

23. And on the morrow, when Agrip'pa was come, and Bernl'ce, with great pomp, 
and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal 
men of the city, at Fes'tus' commandment Paul was brought forth. 

24. And Fes'tus said, King Agrip'pa, and all men which are here present with us, 
ye s^e this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both 
at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. 

25. But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that 
he himself hath appealed to Augus'tus, I have determined to send him. 

26. Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my Lord. Wherefore I have 
brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, 0 king Agrip'pa, that, after 
examination had, I might have something to write. 

27. For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to 
signify the crimes laid against him. 



XXVI : 1-7 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 
CHAPTER XXVI. 



433 



A. D. 60. 

A ug. i {Lew in). 
CESAREA. 
Paul's 
Address 
before 
A grip pa. 

NERO, EMPEROR. 
FESTUS, GOV. 
OF JUDEA. 



1 Then Agrip'pa, said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak 
for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered 
for himself: 

2. I think myself happy, king Agrip'pa, because I shall answer 
for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof 
I am accused of the Jews :' 

3. Especially because I hnow thee to be expert in all customs 
and questions which are among the Jews ; wherefore I beseech 
thee to bear me patiently. 

4. My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first 
among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews ; 

5. Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most 
straitest sect of our religion I lived a Phar'isee. 

6. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto 
our fathers : 

7. Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, 
hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrip'pa, I am accused of the Jews. 



1. Paul Answered For Himself. — "His was by far the noblest 
figure in all that array of gorgeous raiment and stately pomp. Truth 
made him the grandest figure there, just as it made Luther before the 
Diet of Worms the stateliest man in all Europe. Clothe a man in truth, 
though he be clad in rags, and compare him with a man in fine raiment, 
who has falsehood on his side, and he will stand above him, as Saul 
stood above all who surrounded him." — A. F. Schauffler. 



7. Instantly, Iv 1kt€V€i<x, from Ikt€Cvo>, to stretch out, to be intent, 
hence in intensity, in earnestness. 



C. Judged for the Hope of the Promise. — " Paul's progress, instead 
of being an apostasy, had been the development and glory of all the 
Old Testament revelation. In this aspect the progress of revelation is 
somewhat like the progress of a plant that grows from seed. The first 
stage is in appearance very different from the second ; the leaves sub- 
sequently unfolded are not a mere repetition of their predecessors. 
Suppose a person, altogether unaquainted with the processes of vegeta- 
tion, has obtained some seed, which he believes to be precious, from 
foreign land. He sows it in his garden and watches its springing and 
28 



434 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVI : 3-l6 



8. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise 
the dead ? 

9. I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the 
name of Jesus of Naz'areth. 

10. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem : and many of the saints did I shut up in 
prison, having received authority from the chief priests ; and when they were put 
to death, I gave my voice against them. 

11. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; 
and being exceedingly mad against them, 1 persecuted them even unto strange 
cities. 

12. Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the 
chief priests, 

IS. At midday, 0 king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness 
of the sun, shining around about me and them which journeyed with me. 

14. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I hearda voice speakingunto me, 
and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard 
for thee to kick against the pricks. 

15. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou per- 
secutest. 

16. But rise, and stand upon thy feet : for I have appeared unto thee for this pur- 
pose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast 
seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 



growth. After having seen its first leaves spread out, he is called from 
home. The plants are left under the charge of a skilful and faithful 
servant, and the owner does not see them again for a month. On his 
return he visits the garden to mark the progress of his valued foreign 
plants. He finds them growing, indeed, on the same spot, but entirely 
changed. ' These are not my plants ! ' he exclaims. ' I left them 
with leaves smooth and almost circular ; these leaves are downy, cor- 
rugated, and sharply indented on all sides.' He thinks the gardener 
has removed the original germs and substituted others of a different 
kind in their place. The owner ignorantly mistakes a natural develop- 
ment for a dishonest change. The Sanhedrim represents the preju- 
diced householder, and Paul stand's for the faithful steward. The gospel 
which Paul preached was not, indeed, a mere reproduction of the 
Mosaic institutes: it was the growth of that germ into foliage, flowers and 
fruit. All the sacrifices are promises. The Sanhedrim, in their blind 
zeal, would grasp these promise-buds and hold them tight, and never per- 
mit them to open; Paul would leave these precious buds free under the 
sun and air of heaven, and watch to see where unto they would grow." 
— Arnot. 



Pictures. — Conversion of Paul, by Rubens ; by Raphael, 
and St. Paul, Plockhdrst, 



Christ 



XXVI:8-l6 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



435 



Reference. — On Saul's account of his conversion. 
See on chapters 9 and 23. 



"At one of our prayer meetings, D. rose and said, 
' I love to speak of the great change in my feelings. 
Five months ago, I despised and ridiculed all the 
" saints." — I scorned to speak to a pious man — could 
I have seen myself then, as I am now, 1 would not 
have spoken to myself. ' " — Anon. 



A. D. 60. 

A ugust. 
CESAREA. 

Paul's 
Address 

before 
Agrippa. 



Paxil's Argument From Experience. — " I have tried the Gospel, I 
have put it to the proof. I know what it is, and what it can do. Tell 
me that food does not strengthen the weak ; tell me that water does not 
refresh the weary ; tell me that life does not cheer the disconsolate, and 
then you may tell me that the Gospel does not help when all other help 
fails." — Faber. 



8. Thought A Thing Incredible. — Because, as he goes on to show, 
God had done a far more wonderful thing than raising the dead, in 
raising the persecutor Saul into the new life of the Gospel ; the most 
difficult of all the known works of God, the most wonderful transfor- 
mation. It is easy to believe that he who can remove a mountain can 
move a mole hill ; he who could build St. Peter's, could build a house. 



The Persecutor Changed. — " In front of the largest heathen temple 
at Bau was a great stone which stood upright in the ground, having a 
special name, Vatuninbokola. The Fijians, being cannibals, were 
accustomed, whenever they entered a battle, to capture and kill as 
many of the enemy as possible that they might have their bodies to 
eat. They dragged the corpses to the temple, and as an offering to 
their gods they beat the heads of the dead men upon the stone Vatunin- 
bokola, in honor of these savage divinities. After this the bodies were 
placed in the ovens and the savage chiefs and warriors sat down to 
their cannibal feast. But when Christianity was introduced all this 
was changed. Though victims without number had been slaughtered 
upon this stone, yet for thirty years, it is said, no stain of human blood 
has touched it. The winds have blown over it and the rains have 
washed it year after year, and recently the people, with the consent of 
the chiefs, took up this great stone and carried it into the great church, 
which has been built at Bau, a place was hollowed in the top, and now 
it is used as a baptismal font. The first child baptized in it was the 
daughter of an English missionary. The change which has been made 
on this stone is a fitting emblem of the changes which have taken place 
in the hearts of the people of Fiji, which once seemed harder than rock, 



43 6 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVI: 1 7-2 I 



17. Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I 
send thee, 

18. To open their ejes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the 
power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inherit- 
ance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. 

19. Whereupon, 0 king Agrip'pa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly 
vision: 

20. But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout 
all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to 
God, and do works meet for repentance. 

21. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to Y\\\me. 



Yet it is said that to-day there are not a score of heathen in all Fiji." 
— Life and Light. 

God's Wonderful Changes. — Illustrations from Spurgeon's Sermons, 
Vol. VII., pp. 204, 205. (1) " A rag picked from the heap of refuse, 
taken to a paper-mill, and changed ir to pure white paper (on which can 
be written the Word of God, the noblest truths, the highest poetry, 
unlimited promises). So our bodies are like rags to be changed into a 
body like unto an angel with eyes of fire, a face like the brightness of 
the sun, and wings like lightning for swiftness. 

"(2) A poor, narrow cottage, illy adapted, poorly lighted, unsafe for 
the owner's treasures. The landlord removes the tenant for a time, 
while he changes the cottage into a marble palace, with diamond win- 
dows, and jasper roof, into which the tenant in due time returns. 

"(3) A beggar clothed in rags, ill-fitting and distasteful, is taken to a 
prince's home, washed from his filth, clothed in imperial purple, a 
golden girdle, silver shoes, rings of gold, and a crown brilliant with 
gems. He becomes one of the princes of the blood royal of heaven." 

Library. — 14. Kick Against the Pricks, or Goads. — "The meta- 
phor, though not found in Jewish writings, was common in Greek and 
Roman writings. Thus, Euripides ( ' Bacchae,' 791) : 'Being enraged, 
I would kick against the goads, a mortal against a god.' Plautus 
( ' Truculentus, 4, 2, 55 ) : ' If you strike the goads with your lists, you 
hurt your hands more than the goads.' ' Who knows whether at that 
moment the operation of ploughing might not be going on within sight 
of the road along which the persecutor was traveling?" (Howson, 
'Metaphors of St. Paul. ' )" — Prof. M. R. Vincent. 

20. Repent, Etc. — Rowland Hill has made proverbial the three R's 
of religion, as others have made the three R's of education, "Reading, 
Riting, Rithmetic " : (1) Ruin by sin. (2) Redemption by Christ. (3) 
Regeneration by the Holy Spirit. 



XXVI: 22-25 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



437 



22. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto 
this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other 
things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should 
come : 

23. That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first 
that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the 
people, and to the Gentiles, 

24. And as he thus spake for himself, Fes'tus said with aloud 
voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make 
thee mad 

25. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Fes'tus ; but speak forth the words of 
truth and soberness. 



A. ». 60. 

Aug. i. 
CESAREA. 

Festus 
Interrupts 
Paul 
in his 
Address 
before 
Agrippa. 



Eev. Mr. Shelton, who has lived among our American Indians, and 
studied their history, says that he has not found a single Indian who 
was civilized before he was Christianized. It is Christ who leads to 
repentance and change of life. 

23. Rise From the Dead and Show Light. See Edwin and Paul- 
inus, xiii. :28. 

Unto the People. — 

" Old Grecian love was for the few conceived, 
By schools discussed, but not by crowds believed. 
The angel ladder climbed the heavenly steep, 
But at its foot the priesthoods lay asleep. 
Not to the fisherman said they ' Arise ! ' 
Not to the lowly offered they the skies. 
Not so with Christ, he pitied human kind ; 
To the uncultured reason, to the unlettered mind, 
The poor, the oppressed, the toiler and the slave, 
He said, ' Be light,' and light was on the grave ; 
No more alone to sage or monarch given, 
For all his nail-pierced hand flung back the gates of heaven." 

24. Thou Art Beside Thyself — Crazy. — " It is not much to be 
wondered at that men of the world, to whom money, power, pleasure, 
luxury, are the sole ends of existence, should transfer this aspect of a 
disordered mind to those who have lived and labored under the impul- 
sion of strong religious enthusiasm, and brand them as mono-maniacs. 
' Heretic ! ' ' Fool ! ' ' Fanatic ! ' ' Mad man ! ' * Antichrist ! ' those and 
many more such like epithets of choice, ecclesiastical Billingsgate were 
shot at Luther from the catapults of the Pope and the priests of Rome. 
John Wesley, the great religious reformer of the last century, did not 
escape being placed in ' shame's high pillory ; ' while the great leaders 



438 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVI : 22-25 



and pioneers of the modern missionary movement, as we know, took 
very high rank in the category of reputed 1 fools and madmen. ' The 
mission of William Carey to India was publicly characterized in the 
British House of Commons by one of its aristocratic members, as ' the 
mission of a madman ; ' and even such a man as Sidney Smith, the witty 
canon of St. Paul's, found in the first batch of missionaries that went out 
for the evangelization of the heathen, what he thought fit targets for the 
arrows of his caustic wit and satire. ' Little detachments of maniacs ! ' 
was the only sentence which his Christian charity could find where- 
with to label them. In the domain of science we have the case of Robert 
Bacon, of whom it has been said by Dr. Friend that ' he was the miracle 
of his age, and possessed perhaps the greatest genius for mechanical 
science that has been known since the days of Archimedes.' And how 
was this brilliant experimental philosopher of the thirteenth century 
treated when he had made known those wonderful discoveries in chem- 
istry, astronomy, and mechanics, which were all anticipations of the 
inventions and findings of modern science ? Why, as all 
readers of English history are well aware, he was accused Historical 
by the ignorant monks of his order of being possessed with Illustra- 
the devil. It was affirmed that he was a practicer of the tions. 
black art, and was aided in his search for the philosopher's 
stone by infernal spirits. These accusations, together with eleven or 
twelve years' close confinement in a cell, were the rewards which his 
bigoted and fanatical contemporaries meted out to the ' early star pre- 
ceding dawn' of experimental science and philosophy. And the same 
rule we shall find holding good in relation to others who were conspicu- 
ous pioneers and factors in the social and material progress of the peo- 
ple. Especially was this the case with regard to the discoveries and 
propounders of the propelling power of steam, and to its practical appli- 
cation in the form of locomotive steam engines, steam vessels, and the 
like, for the promotion of more expeditious modes of traveling. When 
Fulton proposed to navigate the river Hudson in a steamboat he was 
met with rude jokes, incredulous smiles, and contemptuous sneers by 
the wiseacres of his day, who charitably denounced, his idea as the sil- 
liest that ever entered a silly brain. And when George Stephensen, the 
' Father of English Railways,' proposed to run a train from Woolwich to 
London at the amazing rate of fourteen miles an hour, he was not only 
regarded by many as an impracticable dreamer, but by some as betray- 
ing premonitory symptoms of fitness for Bedlam and a straightjacket. 
It is the old trick of calling a man mad who is in advance of his fellows, 
until the madness becomes contagious and the tables turn ; then, like 
the good boy in the fairy tale, on whose head the fool's cap, placed there 
by his scoffing brothers, turned into a crown, the jeers of opponents 
become transmuted into praise." —J. Cuttell in Bib. Illustrator. 



XXVI : 22-25 THE ACTS 0F THE APOSTLES 



439 



" There is no madness so great, no delirium so awful, *i> 4* 

as to neglect the eternal interest of the soul for the 
sake of the poor pleasures and honors which this life 
can give." — Barnes. 



A Test op Madness. — When an heir is impleaded 
for an idiot the judge commands an apple or a 
counter, with a piece of gold, to be set before him to 
try which he will take. If he take the apple or 
counter and leave the gold then he is cast for a fool. 
This is the case of all wicked men, and much more. When heaven 
and hell, life and death, are set before them they choose hell rather than 
heaven, death rather than life, the trifling things of earth rather than 
an inheritance among the saints in light." — Swinburn. 



The "Madness" op Missions. — " A few years ago, in the United 
States of America, a young woman of taste and genius burst into sud- 
den and great celebrity as a brilliant writer in the periodical literature 
of the day. After a youth of constant and oppressive struggle she 
found herself at length an object of admiration and envy throughout 
her native land. The world was all before her ; the ball was at her 
foot. Fanny Forester's troubles were over and her fortune made ; she 
has reached the throne at last, and may now sit as a queen in the high- 
est circles of American society. The fashionable world had no sooner 
recognized and accepted their favorite than rumors began to spread, 
muffled at first, but anon breaking out in clear tones and distinct artic- 
ulation, that their chosen heroine had consented to become the wife of 
Judson, now far advanced in life, and to plunge with him into the 
darkest heart of heathendom, there to burn her life-lamp down to the 
socket learning a barbarous language, taming a cruel race, and contend- 
ing with a pestilential climate, all that she might make known the love 
of Jesus to an uncivilized and idolatrous nation. To Burmah she went, 
did and bore her Saviour's will there till life could hold out no longer, 
and then came home to die. ' The woman is mad ! ' rang from end to 
end of America, echoing and re-echoing through the marts of trade and 
the salons of fashion, — ' The woman is mad!' Herself caught the 
word and the thought, and, like the liberated Hebrews in the wilder- 
ness, consecrated what she had borrowed from the Egyptians to the 
service of the Lord. She wrote and published an essay on ' The Mad- 
ness of the Missionary Enterprise,' in which she effectively turned the 
money-making and pleasure loving world of her own people upside 
down. The missionary cleared herself and her cause, leaving the impu- 
tation of madness lying on the other side." — Arnot. 



A. !>. 60. 

A ug. i. 
CESAREA. 
' Festus 
Interrupts 
Paul 
i n liis 
Address 
before 
Agrippa. 

* 



440 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVI : 26-32 



26. For the king kuoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely : for 
I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him ; for this thing was 
not done in a corner. 

27. King Agrip'pa, believest thou the prophets ? I know that thou believest. 

28. Then Agrip'pa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. 

29. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me 
this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. 

30. And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Ber- 
nice, and they that sat with them : 

31. And when they were going aside, they talked between themselves, saying, 
This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. 

32. Then said Agrip'pa unto Fes'tus, This man might have been set at liberty, if 
he had not appealed unto Ce'sar. 



26. Not Done in a Corner. — Christianity is like a city set on a hill. 



28. Almost, Iv 6\tyu>, in or with a little, briefly. 



28. Almost Thou Persuadest Me. — Almost saved, is lost ; like sail- 
ors, after a long voyage, wrecked within sight of home. Almost saved 
from the burning building, is to be burned to death . 



29. Almost and Altogether, Iv oXtyw kcu Iv pc-ydXu. 



29. Altogether Such as I Am. — Paul the prisoner had much more 
than the brilliant assemblage before him. (1) They had worldly wealth ; 
he had treasures in heaven, spiritual riches. (2) They had honor and 
applause from men ; he had the approval of God. (3) They 
had luxury and sensual delights ; he had joys, and peace, What Paul 
and delights beyond their highest dreams. (4) They had Had More 
worldly crowns ; he had a crown of glory in the heavens. Than 

(5) They had hearts of unrest, and consciences ill at Agrippa. 
ease ; he was abiding in perfect peace as a child of God. 

(6) They had a Roman tyrant for their master, whom they feared ; he 
had the blessed Jesus whom he loved. (7) Their possessions would last 
but a little time ; his forever and ever. 



Save These Bonds. — Like Paul we wish all men to have the bless- 
ings of our religion ' ' except these bonds : " (1) the bonds of ignorance ; 
(2) the bonds of imperfection ; (3) the bonds of our old nature ; (4) the 
bonds of error and mistakes. 



XXVII : I-1 2 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



441 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



A. D. 60. 

Set sail for Ces- 
ar e a on A ug. 

21 {Lew in). 
The Fast (v. 9) 
was Sept. 23. 

Paul's 
Voyage to 
Rome. 

NERO, EMPEROR 
OF ROME. 



1. And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, 
they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named 
Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band. 

2. And entering into a ship of Adramytt'Ium, we launched, 
meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Ar'istar'chus, a 
Macedo'niau of Thes'saloni'ca, being with us. 

3. And the next day we touched at Si'don. And Julius 
courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his 
friends to refresh himself. 

4. And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under 
Cy'prus, because the winds were contrary. 

5. And when we had sailed over the sea of Cili'cia and PamphyTia, we came to 
My'ra, a city of Ly'cia. 

6. And there the centurion found a ship of Alexan'dria sailing into Italy ; and he 
put us therein. 

7. And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against 
Cni'dus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmo'ne ; 

8. And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called the Fair Havens ; 
nigh whereunto was the city of Lase'a. 

9. Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, 
because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, 

10. And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and 
much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. 

11. Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, 
more than those things which were spoken by Paul. 

12. Aud because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part 
advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenl'ce, and 
there to winter ; which is a haven of Crete, and lieth toward the southwest and 
northwest. 



3. Courteously. — <j>iXav0pwirws (whence our word philanthrophy) in 

a man-loving ivay, humanely. 

10. Hurt. — v|3pea>s, from vire'p above, as one looking down upon 
another, hence insolence, haughtiness, as if the haughty winds made 
sport of them, so greatly were they in its power. 



12. Lieth Toward. — (3\e'irovTa kcit&, looking toward, that is toward 
the points from which the wind came; or looking down in the direction 
toward which the wind was blowing. 



44^ 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVII : 1-12 



Library. — James Smith's Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul, with 
dissertations on the ships and navigation of the ancients, is the best 
monograph on this subject. Leonard Swain's " God's Ownership of the 
Sea," in Bib. Saera for July, 1861, Le win's Fasti Sacri. 

Lucian's Dialogues, " The Ship," describing the voyage of a grain ship 
from Egypt to Myra, with a terrible storm driving it to Greece, gives a 
good account of circumstances similar to St. Paul's. Josephus writes 
the story of his own shipwreck on a voyage to Rome two years later, 
about the time Paul was released from prison, A. D. 62. 

Life Like the Sea. — 

" 'Tis not in man 

To look unmoved upon that heaving waste which, from Horizon to 
horizon spread, 

Meets the o'erarching heavens on every side, blending their hues in 

distant faintness there. 
'Tis wonderful ! And yet, my boy, just such is life. Life is a sea as 

fathomless, 

As wide, as terrible, and yet sometimes as calm and beautiful. The 
light of heaven 

Smiles on it, and 'tis decked with every iiue of glory and of joy. Anon 
dark clouds 

Arise, contending winds of fate go forth, and Hope sits weeping o'er a 
general wreck. 

And thou must sail upon this sea a long, eventful voyage. The wise 

may suffer wreck, 
The foolish must. Oh, then, be early wise ! Learn from the mariner 

his skillful art — 

To ride upon the waves and catch the breeze and dare the threatening 

storm and trace a path, 
'Mid countless dangers, to the destined port, unerringly secure. Oh, 

learn from him 

To station quick-eyed Prudence at the helm, to guard thy sail from 

Passion's sudden blasts, 
And make Religion thy magnetic guide, which, though it trembles as it 

lowly lies, 

Points to the light that changes not, — in heaven." — Anon. 



Pictures. — Cole's series of pictures, The Voyage of Life. 



The Voyage of Life. — " The analogies between a ship sailing the high 
seas and a human being sailing the ocean of life are well-nigh endless. 



XXVII: I-I2 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



443 



"I. In the navies of the world there are yachts for 

pleasure and merchantmen for business. — So there 
are mere pleasure-seekers and those who have serious 
work on hand. But while sailing to and fro for mere 
pleasure may be well enough for a yacht, it is a miser- 
able thing for a man. 

" II. Every ship has a cargo. — Paul's ship had, and 
part of it they had to throw overboard to save the ship. 
So every man carries a cargo. A cargo of what? 

Many a young man has a full lading of sceptical 'b ^ 

opinions. These may seem harmless while all goes 

serenely in life. But as soon as the stress of weather comes, he 

may find that his beliefs are sinking him. He had better heave 

them overboard, then, as fast as he can. No ship would like 

to carry a cargo of nitro-glycerine. But infidel faiths are just as 

dangerous. 

" III. Every ship has a captain. — Some captains are good and some bad. 
The drunken captain who ran that steamer ashore and lost five hundred 
souls was a bad one. No one likes to sail with a captain who has 
wrecked two or three ships. Jesus is the captain of salvation ; Satan, of 
damnation. The one always saves, the other always wrecks. Either 
Jesus or Satan is master of every human soul sailing the ocean of life. 
Who is yours ? 

" IV. Sooner or later every ship must encounter storms. — A ship built 
only for fine weather is not seaworthy. The Christian as well as the 
unbeliever must be ready for bad weather. For a ship to sail into the 
teeth of a storm without captain or compass or ballast is folly. 

' ' V. Every ship goes into the docks once in a while to repair damages. — 
So, too, it is good for the soul to go into the dock of private examina- 
tion and prayer. Prayer and meditation and the study of God's Word 
repair many damages w^hich the storms of life inflict. 

' ' VI. A ship in the water is good, but water in the ship is bad. — To 
journey through this world is the Christian's duty. But to have one's 
heart filled with the world is to founder in mid -ocean. 

' • VII. Some ships sailmore slowly than others. — Often the cause is that 
their bottoms are covered with barnacles. These are out of sight, but 
they impede the ship's progress. So some Christians grow in grace 
more slowly than others. The reason may always be found in the fact 
that spiritual barnacles are retarding them — lack of private prayer, 
neglect of the Bible, non-attendance at church, profane language, foul 
stories. When a ship's bottom is thus fouled, the only remedy is to 
scrape off the unwelcome intruders. 

"VIII. Every ship needs a compass. — "So every human voyager needs 
the Word of God, given on purpose to direct his pathway across the 



A. D. 60. 

Set sail for Ces- 
area on A ug. 
21 (Lewin). 
The Fast (v. 9) 
was Sept. 23. 

Paul's 
Voyage to 
Rome. 

NERO, EMPEROR 
OF ROME. 



444 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVII : I-I2 



trackless ocean of life. Guesswork is bad work on the ocean, and worse 
work on the ocean of life. 

"IX. Every ship makes a last voyage. — It may be the last voyage ends 
in shipwreck; it may be it ends in a safe port, from which the good 
ship sails forth no more. So every human soul makes his last trip. 
What will yours end in? " — A. F. Shauffler, D. D., in Sunday School 
Times. 



The Voyage Between Two Eternities. — ' ' It is a stormy voyage we 
are making from port to port between the two eternities. If the storm 
has not struck us in the calm harbor of youth, we know that the sea is 
treacherous. After this disappointments drench us; great billowy 
griefs go over us; sudden temptations almost capsize us; we go into the 
trough of the sea in wretched habits and circumstances; we see daily 
some rock on which some one is wrecked. We undergird our lives with 
expediencies — property, friends, culture, formalities of religion. But 
soon the crash comes. The ship of earthly estate is lost. One event 
cometh alike to all. Thank God if the soul — the man in the ship — be 
saved. But alas ! the shores are strewn with not only waifs of fortunes, 
of reputations — the lumber and cargoes of life — but with soul wrecks." 
— J. M. Ludlow, D. D. 



** And the woes which were bitter to you and to me, 
Shall vanish as raindrops which fall in the sea — 
And the long hard march through the wilderness bare, 
Seems but a day's journey when once we are there." 



Hymns. — 

" Out on the ocean all boundless we ride. 
" Jesus, Saviour, pilot me." 



Poems. — Byron's " Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll." 



Poems. — Trench's The two ways in which Orpheus and Ulysses 
were enabled to resist the temptation, and sail on in safety while sailing 
past the isles of the Sirens, whose shores were strewn with the wrecks 
of those who had listened to their entrancing songs. 

Most of the voyage will probably be in peaceful waters, and pleasant 
though not cloudless skies, giving intimations and visions of immortal 
and spiritual life. 

' Hence, in some season of calm weather, 
Though inland far we be, 
Our souls have sight of that immortal sea 



XXVII :I-I2 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



445 



Which brought us hither, 

Can in a moment travel thither, 
And see the children sport upon the shore 
And hear the mighty waters rolling ever- 
more." 

— Wordsworth. 



Picture. — The Church as a ship, or St. Peter, by 
Gaddi, Florence. 

The Ship of State. — 

"Thou too, sail on, O ship of State ! 
Sail on, O Union, strong and great ! 
Humanity with all its fears, 
With all the hopes of future years, 
Is hanging breathless on thy fate. 
We know what Master laid thy keel. 
What Workman wrought thy ribs of steel, 
Who made each mast, and sail, and rope, 
What anvils rang, what hammers beat, 
In what a forge, and what a heat, 
Were shaped the anchors of thy hope. 
Fear not each sudden sound and shock ; 
'Tis of the wave, and not the rock ; 
'Tis but the flapping of the sail, 
And not a rent made by the gale. 
Spite of rock and tempest roar 
In spite of false lights on the shore, 
Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea ; 
Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee, 
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, 
Our faith triumphant o'er our fears, 
Are all with thee — are all with thee." 

— Longfellow. 

Prayer of the Brittany Fishermen.—" Fishermen of Brittany utter 
this simple prayer when they launch their boats upon the deep : ' Keep 
me, my God ; my boat is small and the ocean is wide.' How very 
beautiful the words, the thought. Might not the same petition be 
uttered night and morning by God's children journeying on the sea of 
life ? My boat is small, I am so weak, so helpless, so forgetful of thy 
loving kindness. Tossed to and fro at the mercy of the world, except 
thou dost help me, I perish. Keep me, my God, for ' thy ocean is so 
wide.'" — Anon. 



A. ». 60. 

Set sa il for Ces- 
ar e a on A ug. 
21 (Lewzn). 

The Fast (v. 9) 
was Sept. 23. 

Paul's 
Voyage to 
Rome. 

NERO, EMPEROR 
OF ROME. 



446 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVII : 13-20 



13. And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their 
purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. 

14. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroc'lydon. 

15. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let 
her drive. 

16. And running under a certain island which is called Clau'da, we had much 
work to come by the boat : 

17. Which when they had taken up, they used helps, .undergirding the ship; and, 
fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. 

18. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened 
the ship ; 

19. And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. 

20. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest 
lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. 



14. A Tempestuous Wind, avc^os ™<|>a>vKos. The adjective is 
from tv<|><Sv, (our typhoon), a whirlwind, cyclone, tornado, from 
the giant tv<}>wv who according to Pindar was placed under Etna, and 
was the cause of its eruptions. The sea acted as if the giant Typhon 
were under it. 

Euroclydon, 'EvpoKXvSwv, from €vpos the E. S. E. wind and k\ij8wv 
a wave, hence the wave raising, east wind. In the R. V. it is cvpaKvXwv 
from cvpos and the Latin Aquilo, the north wind, hence the N. E. wind. 



13. The South Wind Blew Softly.—" The fair weather and the softly 
blowing south wind allured the navigators from their safe but not 
sufficiently commodious harbor, in the hope of finding a better one; 
and so men, dissatisfied with their moderate competence, strike out for 
wealth, or honors, or renown, so risking and often losing the sufficiency 
of good things already possessed. " — Rev. Daniel Curry, D. D. 



15. The Ship was Caught, by a sudden eddying squall from the 
Cretan mountains, which towered above them to the height of 7,000 feet. 
"Asa sea captain recently said to me in relating an anecdote of his 
own experience in Cretan waters, ' the wind came down from these 
mountains fit to blow the ship out of the water.' "—Pro/. Ramsay; 
Paul the Traveller, p. 327. 



17. Undergirding the Ship, technically called " frapping." "One 
of the most remarkable proofs of the truth of this statement is to be 
found in the inscribed marbles dug up within the last twenty years at 
the Pirseus, which give us an inventory of the Attic fleet in its flourish- 
ing period ; as one of the most remarkable accounts of the application 



XXVII: 13-20 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



447 



of these artificial ' helps ' (xxvii. 17) in a storm is to be <i> 

found in the narrative before us." — Conybeare and 
.Howson. 

Library. — " The practice has always been a com- 
mon one. Thucydicles (i. 29) mentions the Corcyreans 
as having recourse to it. The Russian ships taken in 
the Tagus in 1808 were kept together in this manner 
in consequence of their age and unsound condition 
(Arnold on Thuc. i. 29). We have probably an allusion 
to it in the lines of Horace (Od. i. 14) : 

' Ac sine funibus, 

Vix durare carinse 

Possint imperiosius 

iEquor.' 

[' And scarcely can our keels keep sound, 
Without the ropes that gird them round, 
Against the imperious wave.' "] 

EllicotVs Handy Com. 



A. D. 60. 

Left Phenice, 
Oct. 18. 
The Storm, 
Oct. iq-Nov. i. 

Paul's 
"Voyage to 

Rome. 
The Storm. 



17. Lest They Fall Into the Quicksands. — The greater Syrtis on 
the northern shore of Africa. 

Library. — " These quicksands were the terror of all Mediterranean 
sailors (Jos. Wars, ii. 16, § 4). A fine description of them is given by 
the Evangelist's namesake, Lucan, in his Pharsalia (ix. 303-310): 

' When Nature gave the world its primal form, 
She left the Syrtis neither sea nor land. 
There neither sinks the shore and welcomes in 
The deep sea's waters, nor the coast can hold 
Its own against the waves, and none can track 
Their way within the uncertain region's bounds: 
The seas are marred with shallows, and the land 
Is broken by the billows, and the surge 

.Beats on the shore loud sounding. 

Nature leaves 
This spot accursed, and of use to none.' 

Comp. Milton's Paradise Lost, ii. 939: 

' Quenched in a boggy syrtis, neither sea 
Nor good dry land.' " — EllicotVs Handy Com. 



Library. — Victor Hugo's vivid description of a man sinking in the 
quicksands. 



448 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVII: 21-26 



21. But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, 
Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to 
have gained this harm and loss. 

22. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer : for there shall be no loss of any 
man's life among you, but of the ship. 

23. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I 
serve, 

24. Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cesar: and, lo, God 
hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 

25- Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as 
it was told me. 

26. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. 



18. Lightened the Ship. — Sometimes it is necessary to lighten the 
ship ; for oar wealth, our cares, our treasures may become burdens, 
and sink us, as men in the wreck of the Central America tied their belts 
of gold around them, and sank instead of floating till help could come. 



Overburdened. — " A striking illustration of the danger of too great 
a burden of treasures in times of peril is given in the history of the 
flight of Cortez and his army from the city of Mexico, on that fearful 
night when the Aztecs compelled the invaders to escape for their 
lives. The vast masses of gold that had been accumulated were more 
than could be carried away, as each soldier would have to fight his way 
through the hosts of their enemies. Each man was allowed to take 
what he would, but their commander warned them of the danger of 
overloading; for, said he, "He travels safest in the dark 
night who travels lightest." The more cautious ones heeded Cortez 
the advice so given, but others were less self restrained. in 
Some bound heavy chains of gold about their necks and Mexico, 
shoulders, and some filled their wallets with the bulky 
ingots, till they literally staggered under their burdens. The exper- 
ience of the conflict that ensued demonstrated the wisdom of the 
advice of the commander and the folly of those who failed to heed 
it ; for all such became an easy prey to the lances of the Aztecs. The 
time had come when to save life all else must be abandoned ; and the 
event showed that on that fearful night, poverty itself was the greatest 
riches." — Daniel Curry, LL. D. 



Paul Stood Forth. — " AYe often learn more of faith in one month 
of darkness and storm than in years of sunshine. When God would 
prepare us for higher work, for sweeter peace, for clearer light, he 
brings them by an increase of faith, and increases our faith by trying 



XXVII :2I-26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



449 



A. D. 60. 

The Storm, 
Oct. zg-Nov. i. 

Paul's 
Voyage to 

Rome. 
The Storm. 



our faith. In the early dawn of Britain, Cuthbert left 
his sheep, and went to preaching Christ. One day 
with three companions on the sea, he was tossed by a 
storm upon a dreary shore, and his comrades cried 
to him : 

" ' Cuthbert, let us perish, — hope is o'er ; 
The furious tempest shuts the water path ; 
The snow-storm binds us on the bitter land.' " 

" 'Now, wherefore, friends, have ye so little faith ?' God's servant said, 
and stretching forth his hand toward heaven, — 

1 ' He lifted up his reverent eyes, and spake, — 
' I thank thee, Lord, the way is open there. 
No storm above our heads in wrath shall break, 
And shut the heavenward path of love and prayer.' " 

The heavenward path of love and prayer is never shut to faith by 
earthly storms. It is opened by them. 



Three Pillows. — When I visited one day, as he was dying, my 
beloved friend, Benjamin Parsons, I said "How are you to-day, sir?" 
He said, " My head is resting very sweetly on three pillows, — infinite 
power, infinite love, and infinite wisdom." 



Example. — Jesus in the vessel with his disciples in the storm on the 
Sea of Galilee. 



" Ridge of the mountain wave, lower thy crest ! 
Wail of Euroclydon, be thou at rest ! 
Sorrow can never be, darkness must fly, 
Where saith the Light of light, Peace ! it is I ! " 

— Anatolius. 



Carved on the facade of the Y. M. C. A. building in Boston, is a 
stone cross, firmly clasped by two hands, and underneath it is written, 
" Teneo et teneor," " I hold on, and I am held." 



" Of all the delegates that I met at the convention, I liked him best 
who, on being asked what his business was, said, 'I am a cheer-up- 
Q&i§V"-Rev. J. L, mil, A D. 
39 



45o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVII: 21-26 



All's Well. 

" Out of the heart of the night, 
Over the billows' swell, 
Rings the voice of the watch till the morning light 
With the cheering cry, ' All's well ! ' 

And so on the sea of life, 

When the way seems dismal and dark, 
And the waves are raging in sullen strife 

Around our human bark, 

There's ever a watch at the prow 

Whose care shall lighten nor cease 
Till ' All's well ! ' sounds from the homing bow 

In the happy harbor of peace. " 

— Clinton Scollard. 



Making a Bright Side. — A missionary in Turkey taught her chil- 
dren this precept, — Look on the bright side, and if there is no bright 
side, polish up the dark side till it is bright. 



" I like," wrote Whittier to a friend, " the wise Chinese proverb: ' You 
cannot prevent the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you 
may prevent them from stopping to build their nests in your hair ! ' " 



" Though waves and storms go o'er my head, 
Though strength and health and friends be gone, 
Though joys be withered all and dead, 
Though every comfort be withdrawn ; 
On this my steadfast soul relies, — 
Father, thy mercy never dies." 



" Cheerfulness can become a habit, and habits sometimes help us 
over hard places. A cheerful heart seeth cheerful things. 

A lady and gentleman were in a lumber yard situated by a dirty, foul- 
smelling river. 

The lady said : ' How good the pine boards smell ! ' 
'Pine boards!' exclaimed the gentleman. 'Just smell this foul 
river! ' 

' No, thank you,' the lady replied, ' I prefer to smell the The Bright 
pine boards.' Side. 

And she was right. If she, or we, can carry this principle 
through our entire living, we shall have the cheerful heart, the cheerful 
voice, and cheerful face. 

There is in some houses an unconscious atmosphere of dqmestic and 



XXVII : 21-26 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



social ozone which brightens everybody. Wealth can- *f« 
not give it nor can poverty take it away." — Mrs. D. 
M. Craik. 

No Loss of Any Man's Life. — "A British subject 
may be safe although surrounded by enemies in a 
distant land, not that he has strength to contend 
alone against armed thousands, but because he is a 
subject of our queen. A despot on his throne, a horde of savages in 
their desert, have permitted a helpless traveler to pass unharmed, like 
a lamb among lions, although, like lions looking on a lamb, 
they thirsted for his blood, because they knew his sov- Government 
ereign's watchfulness and feared his sovereign's power. Protection 
The feeble stranger has a charmed life in the midst of his in Distant 
enemies because a royal arm, unseen, encompasses him Lands, 
as with a shield. The power thus wielded by an earthly 
throne may suggest and symbolize the perfect protection of Omnipo- 
tence. A British subject's confidence in his queen may rebuke the 
feeble faith of a Christian. 1 O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou 
doubt ? — Wm. Arnot. 



23. There Stood By Me An Angel. — In the old dispensation the 
vision of prophecy was often the clearest in times of greatest outward 
darkness; and so at all times God is accustomed to reveal Himself to His 
faithful ones, with greatest clearness, and in the richest consolations 
among the darkest and severest temptations. 



24. God Hath Given Thee All. — " Observe how one godly man 
saves many ungodly men. Ten righteous men would have saved Sodom 
(Gen. 18 : 22-33). This is a singular pledge of God's love toward us, that 
He maketb. certain drops of His goodness distil from us unto others." — 
Calvin. 



Paul and Jonah — A Contrast. — " The Bible gives accounts of two 
great storms at sea, — in which narratives a prophet (Jonah) and an 
apostle (Paul) are severally the chief persons, — but these appear as con- 
trasts rather than parallels. The former w T as fleeing from the Lord, and 
seeking to evade an unwelcome duty; the latter was enduring his trials 
as the result of his unwavering fidelity and obedience. Jonah's troubles 
were of his own procuring, and he finally learned obedience only after 
severe afflictions and distresses. Paul was going joyfully to do the will 
of God, and suffer all that the divine hand might lay upon him, being 
assured of a blessed recompense." — Dr. Curry. 



A. J>. 60. 

The Stortn, 
Oct. iq-Nov. i. 

Paul's 
Voyage to 
Rome. 
Tlie Storm. 



452 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVII 127-32 



27. But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in 
Adiia, about midnight the shipmeu deemed that they drew near to some country ; 

28. And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little 
further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. 

29. Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, thej 7 cast four anchors 
out of the stern, and wished for the day. 

30. And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let 
down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors 
out of the foreship, 

31. Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, 
ye cannot be saved. 

32. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off. 



27. Drew Near to Some Country. — The boat drifting on the rocks 
and lost, a type of those who in the storm of trouble or of sin, cut loose 
from the promises of God. 

The Rate of Sailing. — " The very nature of the rig, which was less 
adapted than our own for working to windward, was peculiarly favor- 
able to a quick run before the wind. In the China seas, during the 
monsoons, junks have been seen from the deck of a British vessel behind 
in the horizon in the morning and before in the horizon in the evening. 
Thus we read of passages accomplished of old in the Mediterranean 
which would do credit to a well-appointed modern ship. Pliny, who 
was himself a seaman and in command of a fleet at the time of his 
death, might furnish us with several instances. We might quote the 
story of the fresh fig which Cato produced in the senate at Rome when 
he urged his countrymen to undertake the third Punic war by impress- 
ing on them, the imminent nearness of their enemy. 'This fruit,' he 
says, ' was gathered fresh at Carthage three days ago.' " — : Conybeare. 

Jacox's Secular Annotations, Vol. 1, p. 323. 

31. Except These Abide in the Ship. — Here is an object lesson, a 
living illustration of the harmony of free will and election. 

The ship's company could work out their own salvation because God 
had been and was working for them. 

The Two Bands. — In my father's factory there was one room where 
two bands passed from floor to ceiling, one ever going up, the other ever 
going down. And yet, contrary as they seemed, they were really one 
and the same band. By going into the rooms above and below, it was 
easy to see how the apparent contradiction was explained. So it is with 
the apparent contradiction between God's purposes and man's free will. 



XXVII : 33-3 8 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 453 

* * 

33. And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them 
all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye 
have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. 

34. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat; for this is for 
your health ; for there shall not a hair fall from the head of any 
of you. 

35. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave 
thanks to God in presence of them all ; and when he had 
broken it, he began to eat. 

36. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. 

37. And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. 

38. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the 
wheat into the sea. 



33. Paul Besought Them. — Mr. Moody and Gen. O. O. Howard, 
with many others, were passengers on the steamer Spree, in the autumn 
of 1892, when the great shaft broke, and the whole company were in 
momentary danger of sinking. There was a great prayer meeting on 
board, led by Mr. Moody, and while they were piling, help came. 
General Howard thus speaks of the relation of prayer to their rescue: 

" Did the people of the Spree receive help miraculously from the 
Heavenly Father ? In these things, that is in extreme dangers, it has 
been my good fortune to have had abundant experience. 
But I cannot tell where the natural and ordinary helps of Wreck of 
Providence end or where the supernatural begins. The finite the Spree, 
will never be allowed to know this dividing line. I only 
know this, at this time, on this ship, as at other times in my life, the 
demonstration is as clear as daylight that the Lord is a hearer and is an 
answerer of the prayers of His children. He evidently loves so to arrange 
His blessings as He does our daily bread so as to make them come as 
much as possible through common-sense ways and human instrumen- 
tality. There was one blessing on the wrecked steamer that was beyond 
human procuring. It was the almost universal lifting up of human 
souls unto the very sunlight of God's presence." — Gen. O. O. Howard. 



Mr. Moody Wrecked on the Spree. — Mr. Moody on this voyage not 
only held that wonderful prayer meeting, but cheered up the passengers 
in other ways. He told stories, related incidents, and kept their minds 
from the strain of danger, as Paul not only told his vision, but encour- 
aged the passengers to eat. 

" It is an interesting confession that Mr. Moody makes, that when the 
Spree, on which he made his passage home, was thought to be sinking, 
'it was the darkest hour of his life.' 'My thoughts,' he says, 'went 
out to my loved ones at home — my wife and children, anxiously await- 



A. ». 60. 

The Wreck, 
Nov. 1. 
Paul's 
Voya»e to 
Rome. 

Tlie 
Wreck. 



454 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVII : 33-38 



ing my corning — my friends on both sides of the sea — the schools and 
all the interests so dear to me — and realized that perhaps the next hour 
would separate me forever from all these, so far as the world was con- 
cerned: I confess it almost broke me down . . . I could not endure 
it. I must have relief, and relief came in prayer.' A good 
deal of unreal talk is indulged in about the Christian taking Mr. Moody 
no heed of death, and welcoming it under any form in Looking 
which it may come. If a man did get into such a state, he Death in 
would simply have attained to a state of supreme selfishness, the Face. 
He would be cruelly and callously careless of the pain to all 
who loved him, and would resemble a man who rejoiced simply because 
he was going to exchange a post of arduous earthly service for his 
Master for a life of pure, spiritual enjoyment. Is that Christianity? It 
was not Paul's idea of it. He looked for the ' far better,' but he wanted 
still more greater opportunities of present service, and he was prepared 
to sacrifice his hopes of heaven, if need be, for his work's sake. Paul 
was not particularly cheerfnl at Ephesus, when, with the presentiment 
of early death upon him, he took a final farewell of his friends." — 
Christian World. 



" Predie." — In a London paper, at the time of the exhibition of the 
English fleet to King William in 1889, I saw the following : In a curi- 
ous old volume, written in the 16th century by a naval officer and treat- 
ing of the sea service as it existed in those times, I happened the other 
day to light upon the following quaint bit of dialogue, which has its 
application to present events : Lord High Admiral (evidently a lands- 
man) — "What mean you, captain, by the term 'predies'?" Captain 
of a man-of-war — "It signifieth with us mariners as much and more 
than * ready ' with you, as when a ship is to be made ready for a fight 
the word of command is, ' Make the ship predie ! ' or 1 Make predie the 
ordnance ! ' and a predie ship is when all the decks are cleared and her 
guns and her small shot and everything of that nature well fitted for a 
fight." Paul was a predie "man, always ready for his duty, always 
prepared for work or danger. 

Paul's Influence. — " How was it that Paul gained such influence? 
I suspect it was in the same way in which centuries before Joseph 
gained such influence in Potiphar's house, though he was a slave. It 
was by a combination of good common sense and sterling moral char- 
acter. The centurion had plenty of opportunity to talk with Paul, and 
observe his mental and moral nature." — A. F. Schauffler, D. D. 



Continued Fasting. — " Appian speaks of an army which, for twenty 
days together, had neither food nor sleep ; by which he must mean 



XXVII : 39-44 the acts of the apostles 455 
* * 

39. And when it was day, they knew not the laud: but they 
discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they 
were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship. 

40. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed 
themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and 
hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. 

41. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the 
ship aground ; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained un- 
movable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of 
the waves. 

42. And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should 
swim out, and escape. 

43. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose ; and 
commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and 
get to land : 

44. And the rest, some on boards, and some on or oJcen pieces of the ship. And so 
it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land. 



that they neither made full meals nor slept whole nights together. The 
same interpretation must be given to this phrase." — Doddridge. 



36. All of Good Cheer. — "The frigate-bird (Frigata) spreads its 
wings to the extent of three yards, and its power of flight 

is, therefore, very great. When a hurricane arises it Frig-ate- 
mounts up far above the storm, and remains in these bird, 
empyrean regions until the tempest is overpast. In con- 
sequence of their immense expansion of the wing they can sustain them- 
selves in the air for days together without taking or requir- 
ing rest. The human soul, like the frigate-bird, possesses a Rising 
power to rise above its storms. Upon the pinions of faith Above the 
it can ascend above the tempests of tiuie, and calm itself in Storm, 
the prospects of immortality. No storms can beat it down, 
for it possesses a spirituality which, as Dr. Croley says, enables it to rise 
higher and higher with every fresh wave of its wing." — Scientific 
Illustrations. 

37. Two Hundred Three-Score and Sixteen Souls. — ' ' Josephus 
informs us that there were six hundred persons on board the ship from 
which he, with about eighty others, escaped ; and the great ship of Ptol- 
emy Philadelphus, which forms the subject of one of Lucian's Dialogues, 
and which is described as driven by stress of weather into the Piraeus, is 
estimated, from the dimensions given, to have been of 1,000 to 1,100 
tons burden ; and although this vessel was probably built for ostenta- 
tion, we see that the tonnage of these trading ships was not far below 
that of our old East Indiamen. In the time of Commodus, one of these 



A. D. 60. 

The Wreck, 
Nov. i. 
Paul's 
Voyage to 
Rome. 
Escape 
from the 
Wreck, to 
Malta. 



456 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVII : 39-44 



wheat ships was driven into the Piraeus. Lucian visited her, and from 
his description, her keel was about 100 feet, and it has been estimated 
that she would measure between 1,100 and 1.200 tons. (See Lucian, 
Navig. 5 ; Seneca Ep. 77 ; Suet. Aug. 98)." — Bib. Museum. 

40. Loosed the Rudder Bands. — " Virgil, whose descriptions of 
everything which relates to the sea are peculiarly exact, speaks of the 
ships in the fleet of .iEneas as lost in various ways, some on rocks and 
some on quicksands, but - all with fastenings loosened ; ' and Josephus 
relates that the ship from which he so narrowly escaped foundered in 
'Adria,'and that he and his companions saved themselves by swim- 
ming through the night — an escape which found its parallel in the 
experience of the apostle, who, in one of those shipwrecks of which no 
particular narration has been given to us, was ' a night and a day in the 
deep' (2 Cor. xi. 25)." — Gonybeare. 

44. The Wreck and Escape. — "Be a practical Christian. Expect 
to meet life's Euroclydon, to master it, and let the uncommon experi- 
ence as it comes to your life cheer your immortal soul with the thonght 
that the ultimate experience shall be yours ; that, after having met 
every storm and weathered every cape, because of your fidelity and 
devotion and Christlikeness, you shall find an entrance at last into the 
harbor of the city of God." — Nehemiah Boynton. 

We're Home at Last. — Blessed are those who, with Christ as their 
captain and the Bible as their chart, reach safely our heavenly home 
and our Father's welcome ; and can sing Rev. W. F. Warren's hymn : 
' ' Into the harbor of heaven now we glide, 
We're home at last ; 
Softly we drift on its bright silver tide, 
We're home at last. 

Glory to God ! all our dangers are o'er, 
We stand secure on the glorified shore ; 
Glory to God ! we will shout evermore, 
We're home at last." 

Providential Escapes. — A clergyman was relating, in the presence 
of Archbishop Whately, a story of his escape from a burning vessel. 
He said his escape from the flames was a "great providence." "It was 
indeed," replied the Archbishop ; " but I can tell you of a greater one. 
I once sailed and the vessel I was in did not catch on fire at all. Think 
of that." And so it was. To escape from the flames was a providence. 
Not to be on fire at all was a greater one. 



Picture. — Paul shipwrecked. — Dore. 



XXVIII : 1-6 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



457 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



1. And when they were escaped, then they knew that the 
island was called Mel'ita. 

2. And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness : 
for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the 
present rain, and because of the cold. 

3. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid 
them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and 
fastened on his hand. 

4. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on 
his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a 
murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. 

5. And he shook off the beast into the fire and felt no harm. 

6. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead sud- 
denly : but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they 
changed their minds, and said that he was a god. 



A. D. 60. 

The Wreck at 
Malta, Nov. i. 
Paul on his 
Journey 
toward 
Rome. 

NERO, EMPEROR. 

SENECA, LEAD- 
ING STATESMAN. 



5. " The Beast (to G^piov). Luke uses the word in the same way as the 
medical writers, who employed it to denote venomous serpents, and 
particularly the viper ; so much so that an antidote, made chiefly from 
the flesh of vipers, was termed 0t]piaKTj. A curious bit of etymological 
history attaches to this latter word. From it came the Latin theriaca, 
of which our treacle (molasses) is a corruption. Treacle, therefore, is 
originally a preparation of viper's flesh, and was used later of any anti- 
dote. Thus Coverdale's translation of Jer. viii. 22, has, ' There is no 
more treacle in Gilead.' Gurnall (' Christian in Complete Armor') says : 
' The saints' experiences help them to a sovereign treacle made of the 
scorpion's own flesh (which they through Christ have slain), and that 
hath a virtue above all other to expel the venom of Satan's temptations 
from the heart.' So Jeremy Taylor : ' We kill the viper and make trea- 
cle of him.' " — Prof. M. R. Vincent, in Word Studies. 

3. Paul Had Gathered a Bundle of Sticks. — " The Chinese women 
are beginning to rebel seriously against the fashion of compressing their 
feet, which has so long limited their energies. It appears 
that a missionary has been preaching to them on the sub- Heavenly 
ject, and they have taken the matter so much to heart that Foot 
they have started a 'Heavenly Foot Society.'" — London Society. 
Paper. Paul showed himself a member of the Heavenly 
Foot Society, and we all should join it. As Paul himself quotes, " How 



458 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVIII : 1-6 



beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring 
glad tidings of good things " (Rom. 10 : 15). 



The Greatest Doing Well the Smallest Things. 
" If the dear Lord should send an angel down, 
A seraph radiant in robes of light, 
To do some menial service in our streets, 

As braying stone, we'll say, from morn till night, — 
Think you the faintest blush would rise 

To mar the whiteness of his holy face ? 
Think you a thought of discontent would find 
Within his perfect heart abiding-place ? 

I love to think the sweet will of his God 

Would seem as gracious in a seraph's eyes 
In the dark, miry, crowded lanes of earth 

As in the ambrosial bowers of Paradise : 
That those fair hands which lately swept the lyre. 

Would not against their lowly work rebel, 
But as they ever wrought His will in heaven, 

Would work it here as faithfully and well." — Anon. 



Heroic deeds, martyrs' fires, and kingly power, often bring nc more 
of divine beauty than a true life, of highest motives, in honest daily 
toil. The sweet landscape of the valley has a charm denied to Alpine 
peaks or cathedral piles. 



Picture. — Coreggio's picture in the Louvre of The Miracle of San 
Diego, or "The angels in the kitchen " preparing food as naturally as 
they would play harps in heaven. See description under 9 : 36. 



Reference. — See several illustrations under 9 :26. 



Paul.— 

" This was the noblest Roman of them all. 
His life was gentle ; and the elements 
So mixed in him, that nature might stand up 
And say to all the world, ' This was a man ! ' " 

— Speech of Marc Antony on the death of Brutus. 



Paul's Sailor-Parish. — " Paul, while he had that great mission to 
Rome on his heart and in his eye, did not fail to do all the good he could 



XXVIII : 1-6 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



459 



on the way. The ship in which he sailed was a small 
parish, and he looked after it well. And it was a hard 
parish — that wet, foul, crowded, h? If -mutinous ship. 
Ministers who think themselves too large for small 
parishes God will think too small for large ones. He 
has no use at Rome for men who are too fine to gather 
sticks and teach barbarians at Malta, or who cannot 
compel respect for their religious manliness even on a 
dirty ship, in dreary storms, with a cross, discouraged, 
heathen crew." — A. Mitchell, D. D. 



There Came a Viper Out of the Heat. — Probably the common viper 
of Europe — pelias berus. It is poisonous but not deadly, in England, 
but deadly in warmer climates ; but it may have been the viperina asjns, 
or the asp, about twelve to eighteen inches long, such as caused the 
death of Cleopatra. Certainly this serpent must have been deadly, or 
the people would not have expected to see Paul die. 

" The viper, a venomous little reptile, in various forms, infests nearly 
the whole of Europe, but is absent from the New World. A 
bounty is offered in France for the destruction of vipers, Vipers, 
and it is to obtain this bounty that a man named Courtol, 
in the south of France, has in seven years, in a single province, killed 
9,175 vipers, as shown by the official records." — Youth's Companion for 
July 16, 1896. 

There are now no venomous serpents in Malta, but that is no reason 
for believing there were none ages ago, when the island 
was sparsely inhabited. Alford mentions the gradual dis- Gradual 
appearance of the viper from the island of Arran since Disap- 
it became more frequented. Lewin mentions that his travel- pearance. 
ing companions in 1853, started what they thought was a 
viper, which escaped into one of the bundles of heather. There is an 
instanca nearer home. The Bine Hills, a few miles south of Boston, 
are one of the very few spots in New England where rattlesnakes still 
survive. They are extremely rare even there ; but a few years ago they 
might be found in larger numbers. 

Suffering in the Act of Doing Good. — Paul in the very act of doing 
good suffered harm. This is not an infrequent experience. Compare 
Ruskin's experience given in his Fors Clavigera. 



Starting Vipers. — "There are men to-day who have a wonderful 
faculty for starting vipers. So long as everything is cold and wet and 
drizzly, there is no danger of snakes. But let a man build a fire, gather 



* ^ 

A. ». 60. 

The Wreck at 
Malta, Nov. i. 

Paul on liis 
Journey 
toward 
Rome. 

NERO, EMPEROR. 

SENECA, LEAD- 
ING STATETMAN. 



4-6o 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVIII : 1-6 



the fagots, and feed the flame, and ten to one some viper, or slanderer, or 
enemy of some kind will fasten upon him. If they cannot disprove his 
arguments they will damage his reputation. If they cannot meet his 
facts they will assail his character. If they cannot prove they will 
accuse ; and if they dare not accuse they will insinuate. The viper 
meddled with nobody else, but fastened on the hand that had disturbed 
its quiet and tumbled it into the tire. The same class of men from that 
day to this have built tires, and had trouble with vipers. 

" The people of Melita did not understand that vipers generally fasten 
on those who disturb them : and that they are quite as likely to fasten 
on good men as on bad men. But like Paul they ' shake off the veno- 
mous beast, and feel no harm.'" — L. L. Hastings, D. D. 

Many a viper attacks us, the viper of sin, of envy, of hate, of corruption, 
of ingratitude. The soul, the state, the church, must shake off these 
vipers, or they will be exposed to danger and perhaps death. 



4. No Doubt This Man is a Murderer.—' « There is a deep truth in the 
expectation of these Maltese people that crime will be followed by 
punishment. It is clear in the case of the criminal, the idler, the drunk- 
ard. The idea of the connection between guilt and retribution, the 
sleepless, never-dying avenger of wrong ; the Nemesis who presides 
over retribution ; the vengeance which suffereth not the murderer to 
live ; the whips and scorpions of the Furies — it seems the first instinct 
of religion." — F. W. Robertson. This is a Bible truth. 

But it is equally clear that no one but the Omniscient God can tell how 
far suffering is the sign of special sin. Jesus, in Luke 13 : 1-5, says, " Or 
those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, 
think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem ? 
I tell you, Nay ; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." 

There are many other reasons for suffering besides wrong doing, and 
we have no right to judge others. 

Library References. — Plutarch's Delay of Divine Punishment, with 
notes by Rev. A. P. Peabody, D.D. 

Jacox's Secular Annotations, p. 96, etc. " The fall of the tower in 
Siloam " is full of literary references and illustrations on this subject. 



Addison's Spectator has one number on this text, referring to a woman 
who " was the greatest discoverer of judgments he ever met with." In 
short " she is so good a Christian that whatever happens to herself is a 
trial, and whatever happens to her neighbors is a judgment. Cotton 
Mather's Remarkable Judgments of God on Several Sorts of Offenders, 
with remarks upon it in O. W. Holmes Professor at the Breakfast Table, 
section V. 



XXVIII: 1-6 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



461 



Scott's Red Gauntlet. Note to letter xi ; speaking 
of the appendix "The Judgment and Justice of God 
exemplified," to John Howie's Scots Worthies, says, 
that in this account the sufferings of the martyrs are 
trials for the brighter display of their virtues ; while 
those of the opposite party they imputed to the 
direct vengeance of heaven upon their impiety. — 
Jacox. 



A. D. 60. 

The Wreck at 
Malta, Nov. 1. 
Paul on liis 
Journey 
toAvard 
Koine. 

NERO, EMPEROR. 

SENECA, LEAD- 
ING STATESMAN. 



Judging Others. — " Do you not perceive, Mr. Mil- 
ton, Charles II is said to have said to the sightless old poet, " that your 
blindness is a judgment of God for taking part against 
the late king, my father ? " " Nay," is said to have said Milton Milton and 
calmly, " if I have lost my sight through God's judgment, Charles II. 
what can you say of your father, who lost his head ? " — 
Jacox. 



The Cotton Famine "A Visitation of God." — " At the time of the 
cotton famine consequent upon the civil war in America, a clerical dig- 
nitary in the north of England addressed a letter to the ' operatives,' 
the drift of which was that the two or three millions who were more or 
less suffering from that calamity, were suffering from a special divine 
visitation upon our sins. The reply was, ' The cotton famine is a visita- 
tion, and through it by means of the American war, God starves men in 
Lancashire. The cotton famine is a visitation, and through it by means 
of the American war God enriches men at Blackwall and on the Clyde. 
The natural question occurs, can the same fountain send forth sweet 
water and bitter ? Does the same just God ordain specially the same 
events to bring exceptional weal and exceptional woe to the same class 
of sinners." —Jacox. 



5. Felt No Harm. — For Paul, as for every disciple, the very bitter- 
ness works out good. The viper was unable to harm him, and, like a 
church-bell, attracted men to the Master he served and the gospel he 
loved. 



Nothing Can Keep Paul From Rome. — " Neither the high priest, 
the Jewish Parliament, the conspirators, the devil himself, the storm- 
lashed Mediterranean Sea, nor the venomous viper, can prevent his 
going to Rome. So we are going to heaven, and God is our continual 
guard. All nature is used by Him for our good and we need not fear," 
— I. Jackson Wray. 



462 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVIII : 1-6 



6. Looked that He Should Have Swollen. — " The writer once saw 
a viper ' fasten on' the wrist of a friend in Epping Forest. The whole 
arm rapidly swelled to an enormous size, and though life was saved, the 
sufferer was in imminent peril for some clays, and an invalid for months." 
— Eugene Stock. The verb for " swollen " implies literally "inflamma- 
tion," and one of the enormous serpents of Africa took its name, Prestes 
("the inflamer "), from it. Lucan IX., 790, describes *he effect of its 
bite — 

' ' Nasidium Marsi cultorem torridus agri, 
Percussit Prestes. Illi ruber igneus ora 
Succendit, tenditque cutem, pereunte figura." 

" Nasidius toiling in the Marsian fields, 
The burning of Prestes bit — a fiery flush 
Lit up his face and set the skin a-stretch, 
And all its comely grace had passed away." 

— Handy Com. 



Or Fallen Down Dead Suddenly. — "Sudden collapse and death 
ensue often from the bite of serpents. Shakespeare speaks as a naturalist 
when he says of the asp-bitten Cleopatra, 

" ; Trembling she stood, and on the sudden dropped.' " — Hackett. 



Changed Their Minds . . He Was a God. — " When a good man is 
roundly abused by the public, he may find comfort, if he needs it, in 
the conviction that the pendulum of popular opinion will doubtless 
swing as far toward the other extremity of its arc as it now swings 
toward this. Illustrations of this truth are innumerable. 
If the ten Americans of our first century, who in their day Changing 
had most of denunciation from press and platform, were Popular 
now to be designated, it would perhaps -be found that Opinion, 
bronze statues of no less than six of them are already in 
our public parks, and that the names of at least as many are popularly 
counted synonyms of political purity or of personal integrity. But, 
after all, popular opinion is as likely to be extreme and unfair in one 
direction as in another. " — H. G. Trumbull. 



" Instead of being a murderer or a god, he is, as Bengel quaintly sug- 
gests, a man of God."" 



A Contrast. - At Lystra they first thought Paul was a god, and then 
stoned him for a malefactor (Acts 14 : 8-19). 



XXVIII: 7~I2 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



7. Ia the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of 
the island, whose name was Pub'lius; who received us, and 
lodged us three days courteously. 

8. And it came to pass, that the father of Pub'lius lay sick of 
a fever and of a bloody flux : to whom Paul entered in, and 
prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. 

9. So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in 
the island, came and were healed ; 

10. Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we 
departed they laded us with such things as were necessary. 

11. And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had 
wintered in the isle, whose sign was Cas'tor and Pol'lux. 

12. And landing at Syr'acuse, we tarried there three days. 

11. Sign. — "Answering to the ship's name in modem times. It 
was the image of a god, a man, a beast, or of some other object, 
sculptured or painted on the prow." — M. R. Vincent. This sign was 
used because men could not read. So in older times signs were used 
for taverns, as in London, "The Elephant and Castle," "The Boar's 
Head," etc. 



8. Laid His Hands on Him. — ' ' The genuine and permanent uplift- 
ing we desire can be brought about only by the benediction of personal 
contact." The disciples at the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration 
failed to save the child victim of the devil. " This kind cometh not out 
by committees." " The Master came Himself. He took the lad by the 
hand : we are not told that any of the others had done that." The 
dead child of the widow of Shunem is not moved by the servant's 
message nor by the staff. But the prophet put himself in contact with 
the child, and life returned. " What the poor are really in need of 
is opportunity and sympathy. They want a chance and they want a 
friend." — Dean Hodge's Heresy of Cain. 



11. Sign Was Castor and Pollux. — " How many brave ships have 
perished in the storms, notwithstanding their fine names : The Prosper- 
ous, The Success, The Happy Return ! A fine name could not protect 
them from the rocks ; nor will it save one from hell." — Flavel. 



9. Others Came. — 

" How far a little candle throws its beams ! 
So shines a good deed in a naughty world." 



Modern Example. — " The missionary, as he goes from house to 
house in the worst part of the city, is spit upon, and laughed at, and 



4^3 



A. D. 60, 61. 
Paul in 
Malta 
3 Months. 

Nov., Dec, Jan. 
Sailed fro7ii 
Malta, 
Feb. 8, 61. 
Syracuse, Feb. 
10-12. 

A j, 



464 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVIII : 13— 16 



13. And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhe'gium : and after 
one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Pute'oli: 

14. Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days : 
and so we went toward Rome. 

15. And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far 
as Ap'pil Fo'rum, and the Three Taverns; whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, 
and took courage. 

16. Aud when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the 
captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that 
kept him. 



cursed to his face. But when times of disease come, he is all of a sud- 
den the man most sought after. In Asia Minor, only last year (1892), 
there were American missionaries who were despised by the people, who, 
if they could, would have driven them from the land. But when the 
cholera came, these same missionaries saved more lives of the natives 
than all their own doctors put together." — A. F. Schauffler. The help 
given in 1895 and 1896 to the Armenians has greatly helped the gospel 
work. 



10. Honored us With Many Honors. — Mr. Doherty relates a curi- 
ous Russian fable which tells how all the virtues were once invited to 
an entertainment. In the course of the evening the host 
noticed two beautiful ladies, who appeared to be unac- Kussian 
quainted one with the other. He accordingly introduced Fable, 
them thus, " Benevolence — Gratitude ; Gratitude — Benev- 
olence." They were delighted to make one another's acquaintance, 
having never met before. The satire contained in this fable is striking, 
but not of universal application. Earthly benevolence has met with 
gratitude, although too rarely. 



Bible Illustrations. — "If Rahab entertains the spies, her life and 
the lives of all her kinsmen are preserved amid the destruction of 
Jericho. If the ' great woman' of Shunem prepares a table for Elisha, 
God lays a little one in her bosom, and when he is stricken down in 
death, restores him to her arms. If the Master borrows Peter's boat to 
make it a temporary pulpit, He shows His appreciation of the favor by 
giving the large draught of fishes ; and if He finds a home in the abode 
of Martha and Mary, He gives His reward in the resurrection of 
Lazarus." — Wm. M. Taylor. 



13. Between Syracuse and Rhegium the company passed between the 
famous Scylla and Chary bdi§, 



XXVIII: 1 3-16 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



465 



13,14. Puteoli. Where we found brethren. "Puteoli <i>- 
was the Liverpool of Italy." 



Christian Inscription in Pompeii. — "There is an 
interesting confirmation of the fact that there were 
Christians in this region daring the lifetime of the 
apostles. Pompeii, in this neighborhood, was de- 
stroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius in A. D. 79. This 
city ' remained for seventeen hundred years concealed 
from human sight or knowledge, till revealed in the 
year 1755 by excavations systematically pursued. All 
the inscriptions found therein were undoubtedly and 
necessarily the work of persons who lived before A. D. 79, and then 
perished. Now at the time that Pompeii was destroyed there was a 
municipal election going on, and there were found on the walls numer- 
ous inscriptions formed with charcoal, which were the substitutes then 
used for the literature and placards with which every election decorates 
our walls. Among these inscriptions of mere passing and transitory 
interest, there was one found which illustrates the point at which we 
have been laboring, for there, amid the election notices of 79 A. D., 
there appeared scribbled by some idle hand the brief words, ' Igni 
gaude, Christiane'' (' O Christian, rejoice in the fire'), proving clearly 
that Christians existed in Pompeii at that time; that they were known 
as Christians." — Professor Stokes. 



14.- And so We Went Toward Rome. 

Library. — In Horace's Satires, "The Brundusian Way," gives a 
humorous description, his experiences along the Appian way, extend- 
ing 200 miles to Brundusium, the great seaport of Southeastern Italy. 
When a young man of 28 he traveled this road in the year B. C. 37, on his 
mission from Augustus to meet Marc Antony. 



In A. D. 63, soon after Paul's release, Josephus, the historian, reached 
Rome, after an even more terrible shipwreck than that of Paul. 
Josephus' life, 3, 4. 



Rome the Center of Conquest. — "Paul," says Professor Stalker, 
' ' had always thought of Rome as a successful general thinks of the 
central stronghold of the country he is subduing. Paul was engaged 
in the conquest of the world for Christ, and Rome was the final strong- 
hold he had hoped to carry in his Master's name." And he succeeded. 
He was protected by the Romans themselves, from all plots of Jews or 
Gentiles. Every one would want to hear the famous prisoner. Never 
30 



A. I>. 61. 

Rhegium, Feb. 
14. 

Puteoli, Feb. 
15-22. 
Land 
Journey to 

Rome, 
140 Miles. 

Feb. 23-28. 
Arrival at 
Rome. 
Mch. 1. 



466 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVIII : 13-16 



was seen a clearer illustration of Divine Providence, leading through 
strange ways to success, and of making the very wrath of man to 
praise him. 

15. Thanked God and Took Courage. — " See how much a little kind- 
ness may do in the strengthening and encouragement of a good man. 
A kindly word spoken or a benevolent act done to a disciple will fre- 
quently inspirit and revive a timid and desponding heart ; and nothing 
so tends to uplift the soul of the minister or teacher, Or so gives him 
elasticity and energy for labor, as the manifestation by his people of 
interest in his work and attachment to himself. The weariness falls off 
his spirit, his labor becomes less a work and more a joy." — Wm. M. 
Taylor. 

"Its holy flame forever burneth 
From heaven it came, to heaven returneth." 



16. Paul With a Soldier that Kept Him. — "To be always under 
the eye of an enemy, or of one who watches us with suspicion, is 
intolerable. A young man of upright character, in the service of a 
great corporation, found himself — as was every other of the employees 
— shadowed by a detective, after a robbery from the office of the com- 
pany. Wherever he went he was watched, although quietly, and at a 
distance. He would hurry along the crowded street in the hope of get- 
ting out from under that eye ; but when he looked back or across the 
way, he would find he had not escaped it. As he left his home in the 
morning, he saw that he was still under surveillance. When he looked 
out from the window of his darkened room before retiring, 
he would catch a glimpse, by the street lamp, of the man Under 
who never deserted him. The consciousness of this unfail- Constant 
ing companionship became torture. He went to the superin- Sur- 
tendent of the company, and told him that while he was veillance. 
innocent of any wrong-doing, and was willing to be put to 
any fair test, he could not stand being always watched in this way. 
It was more than human nature could bear. No one of us is ever alone. 
There is an eye always onus. (See Ps. 139:7-12.) Is it the eye of an 
enemy, or of a friend? Are we under the constant watch of one whom 
we love and trust, or of one against whom we have offended, and from 
whose presence we have reason to shrink? " — H. C. Trumbull, LL. D. 

Paul's Work Among the Soldiers. — The soldiers which guarded 
Paul were " from the imperial guard," the flower of the Roman army. 
Every few hours the guard was changed, so that " in this way there 
might be six or eight with him every twenty-four hours." Paul must 
have spoken to these soldiers about their souls, and salvation by Jesus 



XXVIII: 17-27 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 467 

' : * * 

17. And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the 

chief of the Jews together : and when they were come together, 
he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed 
nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I 
delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans : 

18. Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, 
because there was no cause of death in me. 

19. But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to 
appeal unto Cesar ; not that I had aught to accuse my nation of. 

20. For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, 
and to speak with you : because that for the hope of Israel I am 
bound with this chain. 

21. And they said unto him, we neither received letters out of Judea concerning 
thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. 

22. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest : for as concerning this sect, 
we know that everywhere it is spoken against. 

23. And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his 
lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading 
them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from 
morning till evening. 

24. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. 

25. And when they agreed not among themselves they departed, after that Paul 
had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our 
fathers, 

2<5. Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not 
understand ; and seeing ye "shall see and not perceive : 

27. i?or the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, 
and their eyes have they closed ; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear 
with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and 1 
should heal them. 



Christ, and they would be won by the sweetness of his spirit, his 
patience, earnestness, and love. Tradition says that the greatest states- 
man, Seneca, was among the converts to Christianity by the preaching 
of Paul. It is quite possible, according to Professor Lnmby, that the 
gospel was introduced into England by some of those Roman soldiers, 
who heard Paul preach the gospel in prison. " Paul knew," says Dr. 
Taylor, " the men then in the Prsetorium might some day receive 
orders to go into Parthia, Germany, or Britain, and he endeavored to 
enable them to act as missionaries, and carry the gospel wherever they 
went, and thus was begun the great work which went on until the 
Thundering Legion became as famous in the martial annals of Rome 
as Havelock and his saints during the Indian mutiny." 



A. D. 61. 

Rhcgium, Feb. 
14. 

Put colt, Feb. 
15- 22. 
Land 
Journey to 

Rome, 
140 Miles. 

Feb. 23-2S. 
Arrival at 
Rome. 
Mch. 1. 



24. Some Believed — Some Believed Not. — '" The testimony of 
the apostles was ' a savor of life unto life,' or of 'death unto death.' 



468 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVIII 128-31 



28. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the 
Geutiles, and that they will hear it. 

29. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reason- 
ing among themselves. 

30. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that 
came in unto him, 

31. Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the 
Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. 



The same fire reddens the gold and burns the dross ; under the same 
threshing sledge the grain is cleansed and the chaff is crushed out ; by 
the same press beam the oil is separated from the dregs." — Augustine: 
City of God, I., 8. The same sun melts the wax and hardens the clay. 
The same sunshine and rain which cause the living tree to grow and 
flourish are the most potent influences to bring the dead tree to decay. 



27. Lest They Should Understand With Their Heart. 

Bunyan, in his Capture of Mansoul, represents the five senses as five 
gates to the citadel, all of them barred against Emmanuel, their right- 
ful king. God 

' ' Is sifting out the hearts of men 
Before his judgment seat." 



Paul's Work in Prison. — Four epistles were written by Paul during 
these two years, — to the Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and to 
Philemon of Colossse. " The composition of these epistles was by far 
the most important part of Paul's varied prison activity; and be 
crowned this labor with the writing of the Epistle to the Ephesians. 
which is perhaps the profoundest and sublimest book in the world. 
Never did there come to the church a greater mercy in disguise than 
when the arrest of Paul's bodily activites at Cesarea and Rome supplied 
him with the leisure needed to reach the depths of truth sounded in the 
Epistle to the Ephesians . . . and caused streams to gush forth which 
are still gladdening the city of God." — Professor Stalker. 



Four Epistles, written during these two years, are Philemon, Ephe- 
sians, Colossians, and Philippians. 

The Acts were probably published toward the close of the first impris- 
onment. 

I. Timothy and Titus were written after his first release. 

II. Timothy during his second imprisonment A. D. 66. 



XXVIII: 28-31 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



469 



Noble Writings in Prison. — " Savonarola wrote 
his commentaries on Psalms 31 and 51 during his 
month of imprisonment before his execution, which 
show that thougli he had much spiritual conflict, 
neither his faith nor his comfort yielded. 

"The hymn 'Jerusalem, My Happy Home,' was, in 
one of its versions, composed by Francis Baker, while a prisoner in the 
tower, and in the same fortress Sir Walter Raleigh composed his 
' History of the World,' and wrote poems. 

" Everybody knows that Bunyan's Pilgrim 's Progress was the fruit of 
his labors in Bedford jail ; and as the joy bells of the new Jerusalem 
kept ringing in his ears, he forgot the vileness of the ' cage ' wherein 
he was confined. Not so well known are the letters of Samuel Ruther- 
ford, so unique for their unction and holy rapture, yet many of them 
were written from Aberdeen, to which city he had been confined by 
the court of high commission. George Wither, the Puritan poet, whose 
quaint motto was, ' I grow and wither, both together,' had a chequered 
career, and many of his best pieces were composed in prison. 

" James Montgomery wrote a whole volume of ' Prison Amusements ' 
while he was confined in York Castle, the victim of political injustice ; 
and the hymn beginning ' Spirit, Leave Thy House of Clay,' was com- 
posed in the same place on the occasion of the death of 
one of his fellow-prisoners, who with seven others had suf- Literature 
fered the loss of all worldly goods for conscience's sake. Written in 
And to mention no more, what an interesting record is that Prison, 
of the imprisonment in Burma of the sainted Judson for 
two years, during which he composed the beautiful paraphrase of the 
Lord's Prayer, commencing, 'Our Father God, who art in heaven.' 
Now compare all this with the melancholy lines of Ovid, and the letters 
of Cicero during their exile. The latter discover a pusillanimity humil- 
iating to contemplate, and it would have been better for the orator's 
reputation if they had been destroyed. 

"Now, how shall we account for the difference ? Simply by the sus- 
taining grace of the Lord Jesus. One of the greatest triumphs of mod- 
ern horology is the construction of a chronometer with a compensation 
balance which keeps it moving at the same rate in every temperature. 
What that balance is to the time-piece, the grace of God is to the 
believer's heart. It gives him equanimity in all experiences. It makes 
prosperity safe and adversity salutary. It puts for him a rainbow in 
every cloud, opens a fountain in every wilderness, and gives a song for 
every night." — W. M. Taylor, D. D. 

Grape Vine at Hampton Court . — The famous grapevine at Hamp- 
ton Court, England, is probably the largest in the world. As the 



A. D. 61,62. 
Paul at 
Rome 
Two Years. 



470 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVIII: 28-3 I 



keeper was telling how many thousand clusters it bore, I said to him 
that the grapes seemed very small for Black Hamburg's. "Yes," he 
said, " an old vine cannot bear as large grapes and clusters as a younger 
one; but the grapes are sweeter and of finer flavor. They are kept for the 
Queen's use." It is true, and it is a comfort, that with the lesser quan- 
tities of fruit old age can bear for the Lord, the quality of the fruit may 
be better, and the flavor more heavenly. While Paul could do little 
missionary work like that of his earlier years, and not endure so many 
hardships for his Lord, yet his ripest, sweetest, most enduring work 
was done in prison. 



' ' When with chiselled touch 
The stone unhewn and cold 
Becomes a living mold, 
The more the marble wastes 
The more the statue grows." — Michael Angelo. 



Paul's Release. — " There is no doubt that Paul was released at the 
close of two years. ' Hints in the epistles and traditions supply all that 
is known or conjectured respecting this last stage of the apostle's min- 
istry. It is supposed that, on being liberated (writers do not agree as to 
the precise order) , he visited again parts of Asia Minor and Greece; 
went to Crete and founded, or more probably strengthened, the churches 
there; made his long-contemplated journey to Spain; wrote his first 
Epistle to Timothy and his Epistle to Titus; after several years of effect- 
ive labor was apprehended again as a leader of the Christian sect; was 
brought a second time as a prisoner of Christ to Rome; was tried there, 
and condemned to suffer death.' " — Hackett. 



Pictures. — St. Paul visiting St. Peter in Prison, by Lippi, Florence. 
Christian Martyrs in the Coliseum — Gerome. St. Peter, Martyr, by 
Titian. 



Second Imprisonment and Death. 

Nero's Persecutions. — Nero, the Emperor, to whom Paul had 
appealed, was too much engaged in his debaucheries and pleasures to 
care much for such a man as Paul or such accusations as were made 
against him by the Jews. " He was past master in every kind of Sodom 
and Gomorrah abomination." " He exhausted every possibility of 
infamy," " At his hideous shamelessness even the Rome of that day 
was horrified." 



XXVIII: 28-31 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



471 



There were no persecutions of Christians by the 
Romans till a year after Paul was released, when, " on 
the night of the eighteenth of J uly, 64, a fire broke out 
in the city and raged six days and seven nights before 
it could be extinguished." It broke out again in an- 
other quarter and raged three days more. Two-thirds 
of the city, its homes and its temples, were laid in 
ashes. The people accused Nero of setting the fire, 
and to ward off the accusation he charged it upon 
Christians and began a terrible persecution. They 
were crucified. They were sewed up in skins to re- 
semble wild animals and hunting dogs tore them to pieces. They were 
covered with tow, smeared with pitch, chained to posts, and set on fire 
to illuminate Nero's gardens. It was a very carnival of hell. 



A. B. 66. 

ROME. 
Summer. 
2d 
Timothy. 
Deatli of 

Paul. 
Destruc- 
tion of 
Jerusalem 
by Titus, 
A. D. 70. 



Library. — Juvenal's Satires, 1, 155-157; Tacitus' Annals, 15:44; 
Seneca de Superstitione ; Quo Vadis. 



The Mamertine Prison. — " A traveler in the East who visited the 
dungeon of the Mamertine, where tradition declares that Paul was for 
a time confined, makes a suggestive observation in regard to the place. 
The dungeon is entered through a round hole in the floor of the dun- 
geon above. The uppermost apartment is dark enough, but the lower 
one is darkness itself. A strange fact is noticeable, however, that in 
the hard floor of the lower dungeon there is a beautiful fountain of 
clear, crystal water, which, doubtless, was as fresh in Paul's day as it 
is now, — a symbol full of instruction. There never was a dungeon for 
God's servants which was without its well of consolation." — Golden 
Rule. " This was the Bastile of the old world. Here Jugurtha starved 
to death. Tradition says that Peter baptized here his two jailers." — D. 
Schley Schaff, D. D. 



The Place of Paul's Death. — " The traditional spot of the Apostle's 
death is marked by one of the most lordly churches of Christendom, 
' St. Paul's without the Walls. ' But there is a most striking lack. One 
looks in vain for a pulpit. Could anything seem to be more inconsistent 
than to have a church bearing the name of the great preacher without 
preaching and without a pulpit ? No less than eighty churches in this 
city of Rome dedicated to Mary, and in this one dedicated to Paul, no 
living presentation of that gospel which of old he preached, ' no man 
forbidding hini.' Close to the church is the convent of the Three 
Fountains, where Paul, according to the tradition, was beheaded, the 
three f ountaius bursting forth at the three strokes of Paul's head upon 
the ground." — D. Schley Schaff. 



472 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVIII : 28-3 1 



Paul's Death. — "His Roman citizenship exempted him from the 
ignominy of crucifixion, and hence according to the universal tradition, 
he was beheaded by the axe of the lictor." — Hackett. " So sin did its 
uttermost and its worst. Yet how poor and empty was its triumph. 
The blow of the axe only smote off the lock of the prison and let the 
spirit go forth to its home and to its crown. . . . Ten thousand 
times ten thousand welcomed him in the same hour at the gates of the 
city which is really eternal. Even on earth Paul could not die. He 
lives among us to-day with a life a hundred-fold more influential (than 
when on earth)." — Professor Stalker. 



His Burial Place Unknown. — None know the place of Paul's 
burial. St. Peter's, and St. Paul's without the wall, each claim a portion 
of his body. " We, also, careless of a monument by the grave, should 
build it in the world — a monument by which men may be taught to 
remember, not where we died, but where we lived." — Buskin. 



Dr. Payson's Dying Experience. — Compare Paul's experience when 
about to finish his course (2 Tim. 4 : 6-8) with Dr. Payson's later hours. 
"To adopt the figurative language of Bunyan, I might date this letter 
from the land of Beulah, of which I have been for some weeks a happy 
inhabitant. The celestial city is full in my view. Its glories beam 
upon me, its breezes fan me, its odors are wafted to me, its sounds 
strike upon my ears, and its spirit is breathed into my heart. The Sun 
of Righteousness has been gradually drawing nearer and nearer, appear- 
ing larger and brighter as He approached, and now He fills the whole 
hemisphere, pouring forth a flood of glory, in which I seem to float 
like an insect in the beams of the sun ; exulting yet almost trembling 
while I gaze on this excessive brightness, and wondering, with unutter- 
able wonder, why God should deign thus to shine upon a sinful worm. 
A single heart and a single tongue seem altogether inadequate to my 
wants. I want a whole heart for every separate emotion, and a whole 
tongue to express that emotion. " 



Reference. — Compare Stephen's dying vision, under vii : 56, several 
illustrations. 



" Say not Good Night, but in some brighter clime 
Bid me Good Morning." 



" What to us is sunset, to him is dawn." 



XXVIII: 28-31 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



473 



" Tread softly — bow the head — 



In reverent silence bow ; 
No passing bell doth toll — 
Yet an immortal soul 



Summer. 
2d 
Timotliy. 



A. D. 66. 

ROME, 



Is passing now. 
O, change ! O, wondrous change ! 



Death of 
Paul. 



Burst are the prison bars • 
This moment there, so low, 
So agonized, and now 



Destruc- 
tion of 
Jerusalem 




Beyond the stars ! 
O, change ! stupendous change ! 

There lies the soulless clod; 
The Sun eternal breaks — 
The new immortal wakes — 

Wakes with his God ! " 



The best immortality is in living and dying for a noble cause. Nero 
is dead, but Paul still lives and speaks . Rome fell, but the kingdom of 
Christ still increases. 



Reference. — See Stephen's death, vii. : 59, 60. 



" Of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Mr. Bradlaugh once said, ' You 
cannot ignore it. It is too big.' Of St. Paul it may be said, * You can- 
not ignore him. He is too big.' After all, the world associates no name 
quite so great as his with Rome." — D. Schley ScJiaff, D. D. 

Departed Friends. — 

" They never quite leave us, our friends who have passed 
Through the shadows of death to the sunlight above ; 
A thousand sweet memories are holding them fast 

To the places they blessed with their presence and love. 

" The work which they left and the books which they read, 
Speak mutely, though still with an eloquence rare ; 
And the songs that they sung, and the dear words that they said, 



Yet linger and sigh on the desolate air." 



" And when these earthly years are past and gone, 
Temptation's battle fought, the victory won, 
From heaven shall gently come this message down, 
They that have borne the cross, shall wear a crown 
Never to fade." 



— Caroline B. Southey. 



474 



SUGGESTIVE ILLUSTRATIONS XXVIII 128-3 1 



Paul. 

" He who can part from country and from kin, 

And scorn delights, and tread the thorny way, 
A heavenly crown through toil and pain to win, — 
He who, reviled, can tender love repay, 

" And, buffeted, for bitter foes can pray, — 

He who upspringing at his Captain's call, 
Fights the good fight, and when at last the day 
Of fiery trial comes, can nobly fall, — 
Such were a saint, or more ; and such the holy Paul." 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

A, B, C,F, M, Beginnings of 143 

Abou ben Adhem 66 

According to his ability 254 

Accusations against early Christians. 352 

Acorn and oak 246 

Acorn changing to oak . . 310 

Acts, Epitome of 35 

Acts, General view of , 1 

Acts of the Holy Spirit 3 

"Ad Leones" 173 

Advertisement by enemies 187 

"A finger's breadth at hand" 425 

Age affecting stained glass 242 

"Ah brother, have you not full oft,". 282 

"A handful of earth" 32 

"A little bird I am" 339 

"A loving deed" 228 

"And the woes which were bitter," 444 

Alms 80 

"And when I'm to die" 174 

" And when these earthly years "... 473 

" And yet, dear heart" 257 

Angels in the kitchen 221 

Angel in the marble 374 

Angel of little sacrifices 224 

Angel ministries 458 

"Angel of St. Mark" 263 

Angel's visit to the earth 286 

Anger of a good man 280 

" An infant crying in the night". . . . 229 

Anna Shipton's vision 277 

Answers exceeding our prayers 230 

Anthony, St. and the Cobbler 369 

Antioch 244 

Anvil and hammer 103 

Apostles, by twos 79 

Apostles, Chart of their history 26 

Apostles, common men transformed, 24 
Apostles, The twelve, various char- 
acters 24 

Aquinas and the Pope 83 

Argument from experience 435 

Ark in the house 217 

Ariosto' s fairy 347 

Artist and his tools 41 

Ascension, — Christ and Elijah 19 

Ascension, the reason for 18 

A sees B in trouble 83 

" A singer sang a song of tears" . . . 399 

Assurance of faith 151 

Astonished at the answer 266 



PAGE. 

Athens, Literary 356 

Attacks bring victories 185 

"At the Devil's booth" 194 

Babler 358 

Banished Kings, The 393 

Bank notes in cinders 92 

Banyan tree 189 

Baptized — The two baptisms 10 

Barnabas called for 278 

Barnabas, Legend of 378 

Baron's ^olian harp 304 

Bats in a cavern 412 

Battle of the giants 416 

Baucis and Philemon 300 

Beautiful gate of the temple 81 

" Beautiful snow " 334 

Beautiful tree of imperfect leaves. . . 147 

Beecher's experience — "Not there," 49 

Behold he prajeth 209 

Bell from cannon of Breslau 6 

Bellows and the fire 95 

Best possible world 305 

Bible inexhaustible 349 

Bible in many tongues 45 

Blasphemed 370 

"Blind mouths" 391 

Blindness from light 209 

Blood, Heathen use of 318 

Boldness of Peter and John 101 

Bonar, Dr., Dream of 408 

Bonds and afflictions abide me 389 

Bonivard in Chillon castle 392 

Bonner and Ardly 260 

Book put under ban, increased sale, 353 

Books that helped me , 201 

Boomerang 290 

Bowl of Pneueste 261 

Bright side, Making a 450 

Bright side, The 319 

Bringing out the colors of cloth 306 

Broken shadow, The 362 

Broken bone, re-united 324 

Broken vase, The 324 

Brutus and Csesar 31 

Brutus and Cassius, Parting of 396 

Bugle song 14 

Bunyan in Prison 429 

Burdens, impediments 401 

Burning bush, The 163 

Burning Luther's books, 98 



[475] 



4/6 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 



Bursting of the seed 182 

Butterfly safe within the glass 371 

Byrnes, on conscience 57 

"By the rude bridge " 277 

Cadmus and the Dragon's teeth. . : . . 319 

Caligula's statue in Jerusalem 219 

Calls for healing in the East 136 

Canal locks 331 

Caudle and steel filings.. 113 

Candles in compressed air 256 

Candles with the wrong light 280 

Cauuou, powder and fire 14 

" Careless seems the great avenger" 431 

Carlyle on the Reformation 75 

Caterpillar nature, and butterfly 

nature 273 

Cathedral window — within, without, 19 

Cemetery, a sleeping place 172 

Century plant , 315 

Chaff among the wheat 146 

Chalmers' experience at Kilmany.. 98 

Change, Fears of 242 

Changes in the body 19 

Character, a test of Ill 

Chart of the apostles. 26 

Charts, Two missionary 245 

Cheerfulness 450 

Child, a multiplication table 150 

Child of the devil 279 

Choir invisible, The 176 

Chosen before... 239 

Christian, formation of the name . . . 253 

Christian is freeborn 413 

Christian Inscriptions in Pompeii. . . 465 

Christian lauds a witness 16 

Christian Martyrs in Africa 178 

Christian Union, inC. E. convention, 115 

Christianity and the poor 90 

Christianity behind the age ! 101 

Christianity elevating the poor 117 

Christianity, specimens of its work, 72 

Christmas Evans 49 

Christ's kingdom and other king- 
doms 352 

Christo-Centric 253 

Chrysostom, and the books of magic, 379 

Church in an evil world 245 

Church in persecution is like 178 

Churches, Three kinds of 75 

Church, The broad and the narrow. . 18 

Cicero's prophecy 92 

Cistercians, The 311 

Citizen of no mean city 407 

Citizenship, Power of 413 

Clock-work Christianity 346 

Clocks, The two, in Edinboro 10 

Coleridge's hymn 361 

Cole's picture 161 

Cologne cathedral 5 

Cologne cathedral in the sunlight. . . 349 



PAGE. 



Combinations of chess 235 

Common things, Large meaning in.. 68 
Companion pictures, Jerusalem and 

Antioch 272 

Comparison by faults. 323 

Concealed snakes 121 

Conductors, God wants 188 

Confirming the churches 326 

Conscience, A good 414 

Conscripts or volunteers 181 

Conservation of forces 13 

Consolation.. , 316 

Consolation plus instruction 251 

Consorted with „ 348 

Content in a prison 261 

Contest for a soul 279 

Converging lines 198 

Conversion, Different ways of 410 

Conversion like capture of a city 409 

Conversions, False 196 

Coral islands 245 

Cork or anchor 102 

Cornelius, The change in 240 

Cortez in Mexico 448 

Cotton famine, " A visitation of 

God" 461 

Counterfeits 121 

Counterfeit Christians 196 

Courage, Contagiousness of 102 

Courage of the apostles 185 

Courage, Curious tests of 102 

Courage plus love 103 

Covetous man, The 127 

Criticism from misunderstanding.... 242 

Cromwell and the silver apostles 222 

Cromwell's personal power 105 

Cross a burden or a glory 260 

Cross fading before the crown 173 

Cross, poiuts upward 56 

Crystal with flaws 321 

Crvstallization 110 

Cumseen Sibyl, of Virgil 332 

Cut down like fir tree or oak 2 

" Cuthbert, let us perish" 449 

Cycloue at St. Louis 343 

Damascus tunnel 169 

Dangerous business, A 430 

Dante in streets of Florence 154 

Darkness reveals the light 343 

Da Vinci's " Last Supper" 88 

Davy safetv lamp 372 

Dead Sea, The 65 

Dead, The, influencing the living.... 257 

Dean Swift and the mirrored room. . 197 

Death a sleep 175 

Defense by attack... , 373 

Defense of Christianity, The true. . . 408 

Degrees of air in organ 40 

Delayed blessings office 10 

Demoniacs and Christianity 336 



INDEX. 



477 



PAGE. 

Desires to be realized 16G 

Development of the church 214 

Diagram of the Acts 4 

Dianeans 252 

Didache 62 

Differences of opinion 402 

Diogenes and Alexander 395 

Disciples 63 

Discipline of probation and educa- 
tion 164 

Discordant wheels 320 

Discourager, Sin of being a 399 

Discussion, Value of 152 

Dispersion of light 187 

Distorting mirrors 153 

Divisions 241 

Domine Quo Vadis 400 

Dorcas 221 

Double picture in the Louvre 138 

"Down deep in the hold" 387 

Doves in St. Mark's Square 88 

Dream, A minister's 147 

Dream of the Scotchman 127 

Dream that changed Dr. Gordon's 

life 22 

Drifting in the current, a test. .. . . , 239 

Duty in the German army 139 

Dying experience, A 170 

" Earth's crammed with heaven " . . 163 
East India Company and Missions.. 183 

Eaten of worms 270 

Eating garlic in secret 154 

Eating together. 67 

Ecstatic hours 80 

Edinboro Sisters 241 

Edwards, President — experience of, 70 

" Edwin and Paulinus " 286 

Election 275 

Electric wires and power 15 

Eliot, President, on happy life 70 

Emerald vase at Genoa 367 

Engine without fire 38 

Enthusiasm of missions 275 

Envy 158, 290 

" Envy at other's good" 159 

Envy, Historical examples of 350 

Eolian harp 202 

Epic of Saul, The 156 

Epicureans 358 

Epistles and the Acts, Harmony of. 382 

Every word recorded 366 

Experience of Luther and Hyacinthe, 288 

Experience one, forms many 212 

Exporting religion 411 

Expressions of sympathy 397 

Fable of the shield 309 

Facts, as a proof 97 

False labels 152 

Family or boarders 110 



PAGE. 

Family influences 271 

Family religion among the Jews 325 

"Fanatic," The cry of 437 

"Father thy mercy never dies" 450 

Faults of good people. Emphasizing, 146 

Faults, Short sayings about 147 

Fearing to destroy a prison 351 

Fears, A study of 65 

Fears, Noble, driving out the base. . 64 

Fears the cause of persecution 291 

Feeling after God 362 

Fijian cannibals transformed 435 

Filled with the Holy Spirit 40 

Finding an unknown world 360 

Finney, Dr. C, Experience of 38 

Fire as servant or master 83 

Fire in interpreter's house 186 

Firing bombs at a wreck 290 

' ' First best and second best " 231 

Fixed stars behind the meteors 388 

"Flitting, flitting, ever near thee ". 137 

Flowers, Many, in the same garden. . 237 

Flute, The complaining £05 

Foot lamps of Pompeii 354 

"For all the saints who" 177 

Forms, when non-essential 310 

"For sadder sight" 278 

Fountain opened by enemies' shot... 418 

Four kinds of readers 354 

Fraud, Dante's picture of 195 

Free church of Scotland 142 

Freedom in prison 429 

Freedom of the Gospel 318 

Fresh air from heaven 273 

Frigate bird 455 

Frightening the sick into health 134 

"From Zeus begin we " 365 

Frozen over at the mouth 44 

Full of electricity 151 

Galileo in prison 186 

Gamaliel 140 

Gates on every side 213 

German astronomer and miracles. . . 86 

German poem, a vision 203 

Gems from black mud 232 

Giants from dragon's teeth 416 

Gift of tongues, Need of 45 

Giotto's paintings in Florence 284 

"Go," The, of the Gospel 274 

God, beyond conception Ill 

God, Greatness of 112 

God leadeth us in triumph 308 

Gods come down to us 299 

" God's plans like lilies," 198 

God sells nothing 194 

God's stamp on the gold 313 

God's wonderful changes 436 

Goethe's Tale of Tales 73 

Gold bricks changed to coin 272 

Golden calf, Pulverizing the 165 



478 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 



Gold mine, where mill destroyed... 293 

Good from evil 184 

Good in contrast with evil 248 

Good man in hell 33 

Good man like a clock 249 

Good music, How to play 170 

Good out of evil 160 

Gordon, Dr. A. J. and his dream ... 22 

Gospel, recording the failures 120 

Government protection in distant 

lands 451 

Grace 116 

Grafting 311 

Grain separated from chaff 304 

Grape vine at Hampton Court 469 

Great men who learned trades 368 

Great men without technical educa- 
tion 103 

Growing under weights 306 

Grumble corner 72 

Guardian angels 262 

Guidance of the Spirit 327 

Guides to understanding scriptures, 200 

Guild of St. Andrew 149 

Guilt and suffering 460 

Gulf stream 41 

Gyges' ring 125 

Habits of prayer 231 

Hallelujah victory, The 342 

Hammers and anvil 418 

"Hands off," a story of Joseph 417 

Happy life, The 69 

Hardships 162 

Harmony, not identity 78 

Havelock 108 

Healing art in the East 87 

Healing in the East, Need of 190 

Herald of Marathon 340 

Heathen deities 361 

Heavenly foot society 457 

Heavens opened 168 

" He is dead, whose hand" 393 

"He liveth long" 175 

" He liveth long who liveth well".. 256 

"He who can part from country" . . 474 

Helps, Using all we have 240 

Herbert Spencer on Education 287 

Hercules' choice 161 

Herod (Agrippa) 255 

Herod's glittering robes 269 

Heroisms of peace 314 

Hidden mines 230 

Hidden portrait of Dante, revealed, 283 

High tides covering division lines. . . 68 

Hilarious giving 119 

His own place 32 

" Hitch your wagon to a star " .... 392 

Holy Ghost, Full of the 148 

Holy spirit, New gift of 13 

Homer's gods among men 299 



PAGE. 



Homer's hero-friends 78 

Hot hearts 37 

Howard in the noblest cities 357 

How Christ came to church 22 

"How many a spirit" 303 

Hugh Latimer and Henry VIII 109 

Hypocrisy 128 

Hypocrisy, comparisons 128 

Hypocrisy punished 131 

Hypocrite, Definition of 129 

Hypocrites, Scripture emblems of.. 128 

Iceberg stable in the sea 372 

Ice in the tiery crucible ]21 

" Ideal and the Real " 75 

Ideas the real capital „ . 274 

Idol of the heart 165 

" I falter where I firmly trod " 362 

"If the dear Lord should send " 458 

" If thou canst plan a noble deed ", 47 

I. H. S., The symbols 96 

" I know not the way I am going ", 388 

" I may not stay to see the day "... 18 

Immortal Love, forever full 90 

Imperfect compass, 322 

Imperfect glass, Seeing through 153 

Imperfect instruments 146, 322 

Imperfect men 322 

Imperfections of the good. . ... ..... 145 

Imp uuder the scale 124 

Inchcape rock 424 

Infidelity has no songs 72 

"In necessariis unitas" 317 

Inscription on temple balustrade . . . 405 

Insight into realities . 169 

Interest in the poor, a test 89 

Invisible things known by effects. . . 248 

"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan " 50 

Iron ore transformed 307 

Isabella Bishop, Testimony of 88 

Isaiah and the reversed torch 229 

" Is thy cruse of comfort failing ? " . 394 

" It isn't the thing you do, dear ". . . 386 

"It was roses, roses" 302 

James, Legend of 255 

Jeweller, Who is a 253 

John G. Paton's experience 344 

Joseph's wagons 97 

Joy 294 

Joy and work 69 

Joy following repentance 67 

Joy; Power of the Sunlight of 294 

Joy tested 142 

J 0} r that Christ gives 192 

Joy, whence it comes 191 

Judas 30 

Judas and Peter 30 

Judas tree, The 428 

Judging by weeds or fruits 120 



INDEX. 



479 



PAGE. 



Judging church by its worst mem- 
bers 122 

Judging others 461 

Judgment to come 423 

Judson's experience as to prayer 266 

Juftak, The , 29 

Julius Caesar 103 

Jupiter and Mercury, classic legend, 300 

Kasper Hauser 84 

Keble's song picture of Peter 262 

Keeping back part of the price. ... . 126 

Kept nothing back 386 

Kite rising by opposing wind 280 

Kind words in controversy 315 

Klein Brothers 253 

Kubla Khan, and Coleridge 50 

Lamps in tomb of Terentia 192 

Leaven, The Christian 150 

Legend Beautiful 233 

Legend of Basle 245 

Legend of Paul and Thekla 296 

"Legend of Prague" . . 114 

Legend of St. James 255 

Legend of St. Thomas 224 

Legend of the Artist Monk 221 

Legs tremble, but rock firm 114 

Leigh Brothers, Monument of 173 

Let him try 208 

Liberty Bell, The 413 

Lie, ineffaceable 129 

Life-giving power ., 39 

Life in himself 55 

"Life like the Sea" 442 

Light-houses 120 

Light on the mountain tops 377 

"Little Christs" 252 

Loch Katrine 222 

Loosing rudder bands, Virgil 456 

Lost tales of Miletus 191 

Lotus eaters. 144 

Lotus in muddy water 105 

"Love took up the harp of life " ... 65 

Luke's Review of Christ's Last Days, 3 

Luther's courage 101 

Luther's depression cured 371 

Luther's picture of a ship 291 

Lying, Sidney on 129 

Lyttleton, Lord, on Conversion of 

Saul 213 

Machinery and power 12 

Madame Guyon in prison 338 

Madame Rowland 197 

Madness of missions 439 

Madness, Test of 439 

Magnetic attraction 249 

Magnetic current and power 14 

Magnetized needle, The 43 

Mahomet and Abu Thaleb 108 



page. 



Mammertine prison 471 

Man in the pit 99 

Man in glass bottles 9 

Many minds in the church 251 

Maps of the world, The two 17 

Mark departing from Paul 281 

Martyrs of Madagascar 205 

Martyrdom, Reward of 259 

Martyrs, Modern 176 

Measuring values by weeds 323 

Medals of base metal 252 

Medical missions 88 

Memnon 202 

Memnon's morning song 21 

"Men wondered why " 210 

Men of the same name 140 

Mercury 301 

Mercy of surgerv 132 

Midas 131 

Mine at Hurlgate, Firing the 13 

Mingin's, Chaplain George, Experi- 
ence of 211 

Miracle, Definition of. 86 

Miracles, Four names of 54 

Miracles, Moral 87 

Miracle, Nature of, illustrated 87 

Miracles, why needed 373 

Miracles, worthy of Christ 86 

Misinformations 403 

Missions, Blessing of 276 

Missions or death 276 

Mists blown from the valley 284 

Mistakes 281 

Mists blown away 241 

Misunderstandings, How they arise, 321 

Mockers answered 48 

Mocking good things 46 

Model of the temple 167 

Monk and bird 68 

Moody's experience of power 15 

Moody in the Wreck of the Spree. . . 453 
Moody's preaching, Effect of, in 

prison 100 

More light, more love 237 

Moses' choice 160 

Moses' face shining 106 

Moth magnified into monster 242 

Moths in a cask in the cellar 126 

Mount Innocence 422 

Moved with envy 350 

Moving on high tides 62 

Mud on his glasses 284 

Multiplied, The Scotch baud 197 

Murmuring 145 

" Mysterious Night " 340 

Napoleon's testimony to Jesus 203 

Near-sighted spectacles 201 

Nero's persecutions 470 

Never hear the last of it 143 

New departure, The 329 



48o 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 



New eras 36 

New oil in old lamps 67 

Noble writings in prison 469 

No respecter of persons 238 

Notable miracles 53 

Not knowing what shall befall 387 

No time to be a Christian 427 

Not seeing Christ as He is 283 

" Not what we give " 224 

Numbers, Power of 27 

Oaks in the storm 305 

"0 blindness of the future" 11 

Obscure greatness 25 

" O Domine Deus" 337 

" Oh friend we need not" 163 

" Oh that each in the day " 389 

" Oh that 1 knew how all the lights" 2 

"Old Grecian love was" 437 

Old ship with new captain 410 

Old Testament explaining the New. . 347 

" Once to every man " 157 

" One night the poor monk mused" 222 

Opal in the human hand 84 

Opened way, The 400 

Opening the Scriptures 348 

Opposite effects of the Gospel 296 

Opposition, Use of 171 

Oriental beggars 82 

Origin of Thanksgiving Day 342 

Orinoco, draining a continent 355 

Orpheus and Ulysses 444 

" Our lives are songs" 69 

Outshinning of goodness 249 

Overburdened with treasure 44S 

Oxygen, Different forms of 40 

Palace Beautiful 74 

Palace of art, Tennyson 355 

Parable of the climbing plants 363 

Paul and Jonah, A contrast 451 

Paul and Thekla, Legend of 296 

Paul in the Roman prisou 466 

Paul in prison contrasted with 

Ovid, Cicero and Dante 339 

Paul's courtesv 421 

Paul's death, Place of 471 

Paul's escape from Damascus 215 

Paul's progress a development 433 

Paul's work among the soldiers 466 

Paul's work in prison 468 

Paul speaking Greek 406 

Paul, The change in 212 

Paul working with his hands 370 

Pay son's dying experience 472 

"Peace, perfect peace" 218 

Peine forte et dure 304 

Pentecost 34 

Pepper dust 379 

Perfumed by what we are with. . . . 104 



PAGE. 



Perfume of goodness 250 

Persecuted nourish, The 182 

Persecution, arousing courage 206 

Persecutions, Blessings from 187 

Persecution, Crime of 168 

Persecution in Russia, Effect of 293 

Persecution spreading gospel 220 

Persecutions ring the church bell. .. 184 

Persecutions under Nero 180 

Persecutors, Fate of 269 

Persecutor transformed 435 

Persian fable 104 

Persian legend 186 

Persian princes, Four teachers of. . . 251 

Personal appeal 283 

Personally conducted 201 

Peter in prison 259 

Peter, The change in 47 

Phoenix, The , . 171 

Pictured room, The 423 

Pictured windows that misinterpreted 

the Bible 268 

Picture in Wickliff e' s Bible 107 

Picture of a false professor 196 

Pilgrim's Progress, from a prison. . . 171 

Pitcairn's island 330 

Pizarro's choice 161 

Plan, The divine, of our lives 275 

Plants, Correspondence between. .. . 236 

" Plato, thou reasonest well " 8 

Plato on Esculapius 122 

Plav actors in flames 131 

Pliny's letter to Trajan 17S 

Poe's story of the monster 242 

Polished gems 421 

Polluting the temple 404 

Polyglot lands 44 

Pompeii's revelations 366 

Pompey and duty 388 

Popular opinion, Changes of 462 

Possess by giving 119 

Poverty near at hand 81 

Powder, loose or confined 313 

Powder mill piety 424 

Power from without 42 

Power of a look 279 

Power of the glorified dead 257 

Power through prayer 13 

Power, — wire and electricity 12 

Praise and music 71 

Prayer, a bond of union 260 

Prayer and the laws of nature 264 

Prayer, Best answers to 267 

"Prayer is the culture of the soul". 330 

Praver of Bnttanv fisherman. . . 445 

Prayer of Mary Queen of Scots 337 

I Prayer, Strange answers to 267 

i " Prayer was wont to be made " 330 

| Prayer meeting in hell HI 

' Praver meeting on the Spree 265 

Praying and working 273 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 



Praying for a blessing 34 

Predie 454 

Preparation of Paul 214 

Prison, gradually closing 99 

Procrastination 425 

Progress by grafting 311 

Progress, Two methods of 247 

Promises, How to possess the 15S 

Prophet of the silver veil 129 

Prosperity and religion 93 

Providence, Strange, but wise 417 

Providential escapes 456 

Providential guidance , 416 

Prussian women, Devotion of 29 

Psalms on Grittith 1S5 

Pump, how set a-going 254 

Punishment of sin 30 

Pure from the blood of all 390 

Queex bee and common bee 67 

Rabia, Sayings of 246 

Rags changed into paper 74 

Raphael's picture of the lame man. . 80 

Rappacini's daughter 105 

Rays on a clod or on a diamond 118 

Rabelais' witches 425 

Reading aloud 199 

Receiving of God's abundance 60 

Red Cloud's question IS 

Red Fisherman, The 428 

Red glass, An experiment with 243 

Redwald, King of the Saxons 195 

Reforms, Trouble caused by 297 

Rejected stone 97 

Rejected stones, Great things built 

of.. 239 

Religion, A, but not for the people. . 357 

Repentance 58, 91 

Repentance, Two kinds of 30 

Respecter of persons 237 

Rest of activity 216 

Rest, of the churches 216 

Rest in trouble, The water lily 220 

Rest, Power of 216 

Rest, Two pictures of 261 

Results same, Methods many 213 

Resurrection a fact 57 

Resurrection of Jesus .... 6 

Resurrection, Mystery of 286 

Return of Christ, its meaning 23 

Return of Jesus, Promise of 21 

Revivals in New York 61 

Ridicule, Progress in spite of 47 

Roentgen rays 122 

Rooms to let with power 12 

Roman Empire, statistics of 2 

Rome the center of conquest 465 

Roses falling on demons 121 

Royal apparel _ 268 

Rulers of the city 350 



PAGE. 

Ruskin on Turner's refusal to impart 195 



Ruskin on Youth 325 

Russian fable 464 

Sacking of Luna 130 

Sailing into unknown seas 327 

Salvation by faith 344 

Samaria 194 

Salvation, Conditions of , not arbitrary 60 

Sandalphon 230 

Sat upon each of them 39 

Savages in a palace 60 

"Save these bonds" 440 

"Say, what is prayer" 228 

Scaffolding aud the building 310 

Scattering fire by blowiDg upon it. . 244 

Scattering thistle seeds 186 

School of Christ 63 

Scriptures, How to understand 200 

Sealed orders 157 

Sealing wax becoming more valuable 

than gold 298 

Sebastian, Picture of 173 

Second coming, Longing for 22 

Seeing the Grace of God 247 

Seeing the unseen 124 

Seeing through flesh and metal .... 123 

Seeming monster in a fog 403 

Seeds a type of resurrection 8 

Selling his soul 278 

Senate 137 

Sermon, Best part of 48 

Serpent in the heart 99 

Serpent gnawing a file 259 

Soul shining through the face 155 

Southey's Life of Wesley 243 

Spanish painting of Stephen 172 

Special miracles 378 

Specimen brick 312 

Spectacles, Near-sighted 51 

Speck reflecting the sun 106 

Spirit of divination 332 

Spirits, Unclean 190 

Spontaneous generation 410 

Spring sun versus greenhouses ^ 40 

Such as are being saved 71 

Such as I have give I thee 83 

Sudden bursts of fire 36 

Sun conquers by shining 189 

Sun of Methodism not set 174 

Sunlight, Power of the 294 

"Sunset and evening star" 256 

Sun, removing ice aud mists 14 

Surnames 265 

Stanley's experience of conversion.. 212 

Stands on my shoulders 201 

Star, or speck of dust 250 

Stars, or constellations 1 

Stars of God's goodness 302 

Star wagons 392 

Starting vipers 459 



482 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 



Statue of Minerva 357 

Stephen 150 

Stephen, then Paul 185 

St. Dominic at the empty table 260 

Stopping a cannon ball 107 

Strange orders obeyed 198 

Stream and the fountain 17 

" Strive yet I do not promise " 266 

St. Thomas; How his doubts were 

removed 226 

Stumbling over the stairway to glory, 125 

Seven fears changed to seven joys, 56 

Shekinah, The 43 

Shellfish cleaving to the rock 249 

Shepherding the flock 391 

Ship of humanity 18 

"Ship of State" 445 

Ship safe in the ocean, When ? 135 

Ships, Size of ancient 455 

"Shook dust from their feet" 293 

Short sermons 383 

Shrines of Diana 380 

Shutting up the sun in a chest 430 

Siberian mines „ 7 

Sign of the cross '. . 336 

Sign boards of warning 120 

Silent processes in buds . , 162 

Silent times 28 

Silver and gold have I none 83 

Simon a tanner, his house 226 

Sin blotted out 91 

Singing on the battlefield of Shiloh. 341 

Sisters dream of heaven 33 

Sitting on the safety valve 152 

Skitzlanders, The 252 

Slander 421 

Sleep a type of death 172 

Sleeping church, The 381 

Sleeping in church 383 

Snails after a shower 121 

Socrates 108 

Socrates and immortality 7 

"So from the heights of will " 272 

Solar light, The 155 

"So life stands" 288 

" So near to grandeur " 139 

Sorcery and magic 193 

Soul made for God 362 

Sweeping out the Atlantic ocean 95 

Symbol of Paul's career 213 

Symbolic teaching 399 

Symphony of life 71 

Talleyrand, on a new religion 96 

Tapestry weavers 11 

Taps, "Love, good night" 177 

Tarsus, Sunday School in 205 

Teach a canary to sing 106 

"Teach me my God and King" 369 

Tears of affection 395 

Telegraph poles or crosses 93 



Telling the truth, Tenderness of .... 390 



" Tell me how love cometh "...,... 27 

Temperance 423 

Temptation, Dallying with 124 

Temptation of plenty 127 

Ten to strangers 149 

Testimony of the Holy Spirit 239 

Thanked God and took courage 466 

The apple orchard 122 

"The balance sermon " 61 

" The beast" 457 

"The crystal " 321 

"The death angel" 257 

"The doomed man " 427 

" The hand that rounded Peter's 

dome" 167 

The Ice maiden's kiss 384 

"The ideal becomes the real" 76 

" The lady's dream " 223 

"The Land of Never " 426 

" The Land of Pretty Soon " 426 

The nest over the cataract. 342 

The new era 246 

The next button 242 

The prisoners heard them 343 

" The promise never fails " 93 

The proudest heart that ever beat. . . 214 
" The riches of the Commonwealth," 64 

" The secret of the sea " 340 

"The soul that rises with us " 364 

"The Syrtis" 447 

The Three Johns 321 

"The Time" 255 

"The tree God plants" 183 

" The two baskets" 85 

The two engines 100 

The two rooms 24 

"The Way" 206 

" The world wants men " 102 

Themistocles and the wind 13 

"There's a fleck of dust" 146 

Theudas 140 

" They had been with Jesus " 104 

"They never quite leave us" 473 

"They parted — ne'er to meet again," 323 

Thomas and King Gondoforus 224 

Thor and the drinking horn 208 

Thorn in the flesh 282 

Three crowns, Stephen's 175 

Three pillows 449 

Three R's 436 

Threw dust in the air 412 

Through Lazarus' glasses 226 

Through tribulation 307 

Thrusting away a fortune 292 

"Thy duty ever" J39 

" Thy word is like a deep " 200 

"Thus oft it haps" 424 

Timorous and mistrust 401 

"'Tis life whereof our nerves are 

scant " 376 



INDEX. 



483 



PAGE. 

Tito's dilemma 132 

" To blind old Milton's rayless orbs " . 170 

"To-morrow and to-morrow" 425 

Tongues as of fire 37 

Touching a live wire „ 134 

Tour of the virtues . , 309 

Transfigured face 155 

Transfiguration of labor 368 

Transformations 20, 233 

Transformation of Jesus' body 19 

Traveling stones 110 

" Tread softly, bow the head" 473 

Tree of Healing by tree of Life 191 

Tree of Life on Adam's grave. 205 

Trees seeking the light 363 

Tree with silver bells 203 

Tribulation 303 

Trimmed to a pattern 317 

Trinity chimes 170 

Troas 328 

Troy of Homer 328 

"Truth crushed to earth" 109 

" Truth forever on the scaffold". . . 112 

Truth, Love of 125 

Turn your face to the light 70 

Two armies, and " Sweet Home" .. . 319 

Two by two 251 

Two ears of the reformer 275 

Two maps of the world 17 

Two pictures of life 132 

Two pictures by St. Chrysostom 84 

Two pictures of Rembrandt 377 

Two rabbis 188 

Two ways of deliverance 258 

Two was of living 377 

Tyudale's Bible, Burning of 298 

Tyndall's glass tube 410 

Unclean spirits 189 

Unconscious wealth 376 

Undergirding 446 

Undiscovered forces 379 

Unknown God, The 360 

Unknown workers, Value of 25 

United States Seal — obverse 5 

Unity — illustration of 115 

Unity of sounds 36 

Unmeasured depths of Scripture... 200 

Untoward generation 59 

Upas tree 403 

Up, Which way is 19 

Useless resistance to the Gospel.... 208 

Variety of character 272 

Victory of the vanquished 173 

Vineyards on extinct volcanoes 318 

Vipers in Malta. . 459 

Virgil's Cumsean Sibyl 333 

Virgil's Fourth Eclogue 92 

"Vision and the summons" 234 

Visions and Dreams 49 

Visions, Examples of 372 



page. 

Visions, False 51 

Visions from pillows of stone 372 

Vision of redemption 203 

Visions, Power of 50 

Visions, Well-founded 53 

Visions, True 52 

Vitality a safeguard against disease, 135 

Voyage between two eternities 444 

Voyage of life 442 

Waiting for an answer 28 

Waiting in the upper room. 28 

Walls, putting gates in 247 

Warnings or examples 132 

Waste material, Good from 73 

Watch and its case , 7 

Water enough, but not boiling 37 

Water in the clouds 302 

Waterworks, Using power of 14 

Wayside ministries 82 

" We all might do good " 224 

' ' We are but organs mute " 42 

Weathercock, The 112 

Weeds changed to useful plants 25 

Welded, not frozen, together 114 

" We live in deeds not years " 256 

" W e' re home at last" 456 

Wesley's experience 130 

Wesley's reproof of the unforgiving, 175 

What God hath wrought 314 

What Paul had more than Agrippa. . 440 

" What use for the rope, if" 398 

Wheat in Midlothian 171 

" When one that holds communion," 154 

" When the sun grows cold " 365 

" When these earthly years " 175 

" When winds are raging" 218 

" When with chiseled touch " 470 

White ants 133 

"Who comes to God an inch" 373 

Whose heart the Lord opened 331 

Wild passions 406 

William Tell on freedom 319 

Wills wanted 400 

Wind-flower, The 254 

Wire and the power 38 

Wise women of Medina 164 

Witnesses for God 16 

" Woe unto you," of love 132 

Women prophecying 398 

Word of God like His works 354 

Working two by two 78 

World turned upside down 351 

Worshipping medicine bottles 153 

Wreck of the Spree 453 

Wrestling with a statue 290 

"Wrought into gold 223 

Wyckliffe's ashes 181 

Xavier's vision 210 

" Ye men of Galilee " 20 



(f 6 W - 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: June 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

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